


Erasing the You of Now

by rhapshie



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Depressed Aomine, Friends With Benefits, M/M, Mutual Pining, NBA, Slow Burn, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Touou Kagami, and it only took them 176k words to get together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:48:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 43
Words: 233,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24207715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhapshie/pseuds/rhapshie
Summary: Whenever Kagami's red and Aomine's blue meets, explosive magic happens. It's not always a sight to behold, but they are learning in hope that perhaps one day, they will create firework.
Relationships: Aomine Daiki/Kagami Taiga, Himuro Tatsuya/Murasakibara Atsushi (background), Kuroko Tetsuya/Momoi Satsuki (Background)
Comments: 490
Kudos: 445





	1. Misadventure

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so I've been crying for more Touou!Kagami and also AoKaga NBA adventure so I thought I'm gonna do this. HEAR ME OUT.
> 
> This fic is gonna be my ULTIMATE SUPER INDULGENT AOKAGA fic tm. So, I'm planning to write a really long one telling their lives from high school, start of relationship, NBA, marriage and retirement.
> 
> It's gonna be a hot mix of angst, sex, fluff and everything in between. In another word, probably one of my most ambitious projects and I hope I can finish it!! And it's gonna be such a plus if someone enjoys this mess.
> 
> I might be including some illustrations too in the future chapters! Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 1: High School
> 
>  **GETTING ACQUAINTANCED**  
>  Chapter 1: Misadventure  
> Chapter 2: Like Oil and Water  
> Chapter 3: Fragments of Hope  
> Chapter 4: The Beginning of Something  
>  **INTERHIGH**  
>  Chapter 5: Betrayal  
> Chapter 6: He is Flame  
> Chapter 7: I'll Break Your Fall  
> Chapter 8: Never Alone  
> Chapter 9: When The Curtain Falls, We Rise  
>  **SUMMER BREAK**  
>  Chapter 10: A Moment of Respite  
> Chapter 11: A Helping Hand  
> Chapter 12: Gold Sky and Promises  
> Chapter 13: Rumour Says  
>  **WINTER CUP**  
>  Chapter 14: Pieces, Falling Into Place  
> Chapter 15: We Go Up, We Go Down  
> Chapter 16: A Taste of Your Own Medicine  
> Chapter 17: And We'll Never Stop Growing  
> Chapter 18: Double Ace  
>  **TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD**  
>  Chapter 19: Time Heals All  
> Chapter 20: Our Song and Dance
> 
> (The rest TBA! All art posted in this fic belongs to me unless stated otherwise)

Well, there went Kagami's plan to not be late for his first class in Touou.

Not like he was complaining, because he currently had a huge dick in his mouth and rough fingers pulling his hair.

He wasn't sure how this happened either. One second he was running towards the entrance and the second after, he saw a really, _really_ hot student leaning against the tree in the obscure part of the corner. Their eyes met, sparks of attraction flew everywhere, and the next thing he knew, he was following that blunette with an illegal smirk down a bush-ridden path.

It wasn't so much as love at first sight as _lust_ at first sight.

He was glad he followed the random stranger, though, because his cock was perfect and Kagami would die happy if this was the last thing he sucked.

All the noises that came out of Kagami's mouth became garbled as the sexy bluehead fucked his mouth into tomorrow. His nicely-ironed uniform would be crumpled like no one's business, but did it really matter, in the grand scheme of things?

If all the students at Touou were this hot and open to sex, then Kagami had chosen the right school to go to. He had a feeling that it might just be this guy, though. What a shame.

"You've got no gag response. You suck dicks often?" It was the first thing the other student said and that voice did things to Kagami. He knew that the bluehead would have a bed voice, if his grunts were anything to go by, but now he was convinced that it should be illegal in about ten different countries.

"Not as much as I'd like to." Kagami gave the other male a hungry gaze before swirling his tongue over the tip. That was enough to tip the sexy blunette over the edge as he sprayed his thick cum all over Kagami's face. The redhead didn't even hesitate. He lapped up what he could gather and used his fingers to clean his face.

There was that.

"I'm late." Almost immediately, Kagami zipped his pants up and ran towards the gate, hoping that his erection would go down by the time he got to the teacher's office.

"Gate's locked—" The student who just had the ejaculation of his life didn't get to finish his sentence. He stared wide-eyed as the deliciously lewd redhead leapt over the fence like it was only two centimetres tall instead of two metres. His right hand gripped the top of the metal bar and used it as a pivot point to bring his body over to the other side.

The first thing that ran through the bluehead's head was: "Track team transfer student?"

Kagami managed to reach the staff room, only ten minutes late. The teacher bought his excuse that he got lost on the way there and quickly, they sorted through all the necessary documents. Kagami was still frazzled thanks to earlier's misadventure but he managed to keep it together.

While straightening his hair and clothes, they made their way to the classroom where the homeroom teacher had just started the first lesson of the day. Kagami stood up straight as she smiled at him and set her book down.

The first thing Kagami saw as soon as he stepped in front of the classroom was that guy he just sucked off.

He had his head buried in his crossed arms and he slowly lifted his head to reveal a pair of sleepy blue eyes.

Bue and brown met.

Just like before, sparks flew everywhere and those animalistic eyes once again captured him. The two immediately became locked in a staring contest that uneased the entire classroom, the teacher included.

"Uhm... introduction?" She leaned towards Kagami but the redhead kept his eyes straight at Aomine as he fixed his collar and licked his lower lip.

"Kagami. _Tiger,_ " He pronounced his first name in English, not forgetting to linger over the 'r' as he bared his fangs at Aomine who kept looking at him with a pair of hungry eyes. "Taiga." After a few seconds, he said it properly and watched as the dark-skinned student narrowed his eyes, lips mouthing 'Tiger' as if issuing a challenge.

"Nice to meet you." He said, again, in English.

Looked like he didn't make a good impression with the rest of the class because the moment he took off his sling bag, everyone visibly flinched. What he didn't know was how he had not backed down in the face of the school's most infamous troublemaker. Everyone naturally assumed he was the yankee type.

Kagami plopped on the empty seat next to Aomine—the only available one because no one wanted to sit there.

The moment the teacher turned to face the blackboard, Aomine leaned into Kagami's personal space, mouth a hairbreadth away from the transfer student's ear.

"Daiki," He said, breathing into it. "Aomine Daiki. _Remember it._ "

Kagami didn't think he could forget. A name was great for the time he needed to scream something out, which would definitely happen sooner or later.

The rest of the day was anti-climatic, much to Kagami's dismay. Everyone looked relieved, though. They must've expected a big, explosive fight. On the contrary, Aomine slept through all the subjects, and during lunchtime, he sprang up and left god-knew-where. Kagami caught a glance of a drop down gorgeous pink-haired girl dangling off his arm as he walked off.

His girlfriend?

"Cheating bastard." He mouthed. In all honesty, he understood polyamory, so maybe this arrangement was just that. An open relationship, perhaps? After all, Aomine looked like the unscrupulous type.

He was about to pack up his bento when a few guys approached him. One was bespectacled, looked like some evil mastermind, and the other had dark brown hair. Both of them were so stacked, he assumed that the school's thugs wanted a fight already. However, when the one in glasses gave him a smile (that still looked evil), the redhead relaxed a little.

"190?" He asked, obviously referring to Kagami's height and making him nod. "I heard you had a stare-down with Aomine and didn't lose."

Kagami huffed, rocking his chair back and forth. He was horrible with polite talk, so he was glad that he could just do whatever he wanted with these two. "Something like that. What, are you guys his lackeys or something?"

Both of them didn't look particularly offended or anything. "No, we were just wondering if you play basket."

"Yeah, I play." Kagami replied, disinterested.

The two men exchanged looks, then nodded at each other. "Will you consider joining? You can find us in the gym after school. We're one of the best in Japan."

Kagami's ears perked up when he heard the bold statement. "Oh?" From what he'd seen, the level in Japan was much lower than it was in America, but if these guys were that confident, then maybe he'd humour them.

"I'm the captain, Imayoshi. This is Susa, vice-captain," He introduced himself. "Oh, and Aomine is our power forward."

"Wish he'd act more like it." Susa shrugged, but that went past Kagami's head. In an instant, the chair rocking stopped.

"He's a power forward?" That was _his_ position. If he were to join, then he'd probably be fighting over the spot with Aomine. Interesting. If Aomine was as dominant in the court as he was with sex, then there would be no shortage of entertainment.

Seeing how Kagami's interest was piqued at the mention of Aomine, Imayoshi's grin became wider. "He is on a whole another level. You won't regret joining the team if only to observe Aomine."

"Aomine, huh..." Kagami thought back to the sinfully hot dark-skinned student who was apparently the power forward of an apparently strong school. He might've stroke gold here. Even though he told himself he wouldn't join the basketball team while he stayed in Japan, maybe this time, it would be different.

After all, there was something electric about Aomine, and if there was one thing Kagami was good at, it was sensing potential. Aomine was practically drowning in it.

"Is that pink-haired girl his girlfriend?" The redhead caught himself thinking out loud.

"Ah, you're talking about Momoi. She's the basketball club's manager and from what I've heard, yes, those two are in a relationship. Although, well, I wouldn't be so quick to trust rumours." There was something seriously uncanny about Imayoshi's smile that made Kagami think of all those horror movies he accidentally watched. That sent a shiver down his spine. He absolutely hated anything supernatural. "Well, I'll see you later, hopefully, Kagami."

"Dating or not, hats off to her. She's the only one who can keep him somewhat leashed. I wish Wakamatsu has half the patience she has." Susa chuckled as he followed Imayoshi and waved goodbye at Kagami who nodded in acknowledgement.

_Dating or not dating? Which is it?_

Kagami decided to ask questions later. Most likely much later, because he had a feeling that he wouldn't be catching Aomine awake any time soon.

True to his assumption, Aomine returned when Kagami went to the toilet. The bluehead immediately dug his head between his arms and looked out the windows blankly, then he let out a big yawn as he closed his eyes. Nap time.

Upon hearing the soft snore, Kagami stared at the back of Aomine's head. It was amazing how the guy who fucked his mouth just a few hours ago could be so nonchalant. But then again, he would rather that than bumbling awkwardness. This power forward must be used to casual flings.

The teacher explained an uninteresting part of history and Kagami only paid attention to half of what he said. At some point, Aomine sat up and rested his cheek on his right palm, open textbook covering his face. The guy was obviously still asleep. It got Kagami wondering what the hell this guy did at night to make him sleep _that_ much.

But well, sleeping Aomine wasn't too bad. When he had his eyes peacefully closed like that, the wrinkles on his forehead disappeared. He looked way younger, although not half as sexy as he was scowling. Kagami decided that he liked Aomine's other face better.

He twirled the pen in his hand and turned back towards the teacher. School would end soon, and maybe he'd see Aomine in action later. The bastard had slept enough, after all. He must have some insane energy spike.

.

School to Kagami was just that. School. It was boring, not engaging and a waste of time. Not like he had anything else to do in Japan. He just moved here two months after the year started and would remain there for the unforeseeable future. If he wanted to have a somewhat okay time, he probably should find someone to hang out with, even if just acquaintance.

Aomine was a candidate, but Kagami didn't have much hope. The basketball team's ace was the type to view everything that involved more than breathing to be a chore, so he doubted he'd be able to get a good conversation going with him. If they could at least have good sex, then that would be okay, Kagami decided.

He was on his way towards the gym that was already filled with the squeaky sound of sneakers sliding against polished wood when he was stopped by a sweet smell of strawberry.

"Kagami-kun?" The voice that followed was soft, feminine and when Kagami turned around, the pink-haired girl from earlier was holding his wrist. "Are you here to take a look at the basketball team?"

"You know me?" The redhead frowned. He didn't remember introducing himself, and there was no way Aomine would've mentioned him even in passing.

The girl gave a sweet smile that looked almost calculating. "I know everything about everyone around here. Especially those with potential. I'm Momoi Satsuki."

Ones with potential? Kagami didn't really understand what she was on about considering she hadn't even seen him play, but whatever. Maybe she had some ability to smell others' auras just from a glance. "You're Aomine's girlfriend. Uh, I mean, the manager."

Satsuki didn't confirm nor deny the statement. Instead, she eased Kagami into the gym. "Dai-chan—I mean, Aomine-kun isn't here yet, but feel free to take a look."

He walked into the well-lit gym to see lots of people already present. Imayoshi and Susa were there too with a small group whom he assumed were the starting members minus Aomine. What was the guy doing anyway. There was no way he was still asleep, right? "When is he coming?" Kagami decided to ask.

"He..." Satsuki looked troubled but didn't even finish her sentence before Imayoshi called Kagami's name.

"Can you play power forward?" Was his question. With a nod, Kagami walked towards the small group just outside the court. "Great, since Aomine's not here yet, can you play in his stead? If you think that's acceptable, Momoi."

The girl circled Kagami and took a good look at his clothed body from the neck to the toe before humming and giving Imayoshi the thumbs up. "He's not quite there yet, but he should be able to keep up."

"What do you mean by 'not quite there yet'?" The redhead furrowed his brows, a little offended by that. Again, she hadn't even _seen_ him play!

"Kagami... Taiga," Momoi opened her notebook and started writing something that Kagami didn't even want to know what. "Well, show us what you can do then, Kagami-kun. Imayoshi-san, I'm going to go look for Aomine-kun!" She was quick to turn around and exited the gym.

"We've got a change of clothes if you'd like." Imayoshi had his arms on his waist as Kagami put his bag down on the bench and took off his suit jacket and tie.

"I'll be fine. Let's just play," Said Kagami while he began warming up. "So what's up with Aomine? Did he get into trouble or something?" Honestly, he was only here for the blunette, so it was annoying to see that the man wasn't even present.

"Ahh, you see..."

"That bastard needs to be put in his damn place. He acts like he owns the place, I can't stand his guts." Said someone whose hair was dyed platinum blond. 

"Let's just say he takes things at his own pace and leave it at that. You'll be in my team today, Kagami." Imayoshi's smile was unreadable which still creeped Kagami out.

Three minutes into the game and Kagami finally understood what Momoi meant by 'keeping up'.

The member's individual skill was far better than he had anticipated. It still wasn't America kind of good, but Kagami was coloured impressed at their performance. Half of these guys weren't even on the first string and they already exceeded his, admittedly, low expectation.

"You're pretty good." Wakamatsu had a huge grin as he guarded Kagami.

In response, the redhead only smirked. This guy was no joke either, and he was glad because Imayoshi was on his team otherwise he would be overwhelmed. The captain was devious and downright terrible. Even through a stranger's point of view, Kagami could tell that Imayoshi relentlessly attacked everyone's weak points. That was the only reason how they constantly broke through the opposing team's guards.

If they were this good, how much better was Aomine?

"Get off me!" Was a voice that distracted Kagami and practically everyone. On the door, stood Aomine and Satsuki who had both her arms wrapped around his waist from the back as she pushed her probably-boyfriend into the gym. "It's fucking boring, watching these scrubs dance around the court like monkeys."

"That won't do, Dai-chan. You _have_ to play. Just this once, you _have_ to."

"You say that every single time but there's literally no point in me practising against people who can't even dribble to safe their lives." The poison in Aomine's words was clear to Kagami, and it got an immediate reaction from Wakamatsu.

"Aomine, you _bastard_! Say that again!" He charged forward but Imayoshi was quick to grab him and restrain him together with Susa before any fight could break.

Kagami never really cared much for teamwork, but this looked especially bad. Was that how Aomine acted all the time?

The bluehead's gaze went straight past Wakamatsu and landed on Kagami.

Once more, blue and hazel met. Everyone immediately noticed the tension that crackled between two, especially Satsuki. She didn't say anything as Aomine walked out of her grasp, past Wakamatsu and stopped right in front of Kagami.

Their chests were almost touching and their faces were so close, Kagami thought the ace was going to kiss him right there.

Aomine didn't.

Instead, a wild, animalistic smirk grew on his face as he cupped Kagami's cheek and tapped it gently—mockingly. "Tiger."

The transfer student's reaction was a little delayed, but he did end up slapping the hand away. "So you're the power forward."

It didn't faze Aomine. His other cheek was now the one being cupped and the blunette brushed Kagami's lips with his thumb. No one seemed to know what to say. The whole damn place was quiet as they stared at the pair, ready to separate them if a fight did break. "I am."

"I want to be in the first string," Said Kagami with a challenging smirk. "And you're in the way."

In response, Aomine leaned into Kagami's ear and whispered, "The only position you'll take today is as my sex buddy."

A loud crack of fist making contact with bones echoed in the gym and everyone let out a collective gasp.

"Who do you think you are?" _A sexy bastard, yeah. But I won't let you step all over me, asshole._

Everyone had moved to separate the two, but Aomine didn't look like he was going to hit back. Instead, he slowly craned his head towards Kagami, one hand on his cheek where Kagami's fist had been just a second ago. "Play me one-on-one," His bloodthirsty smirk grew and Kagami flinched a little when he saw the feral glow in his eyes. "Best of ten. If you take even one point from me, you can have my spot."

"You're going to eat your words."

Shaking his head, Aomine put his palm up, elbow bent and fingers facing a brunette, Sakurai, who immediately tossed a ball towards him. "Unfortunately, I never do."

The two stared each other down for a few more lingering seconds—Kagami with his teeth grinding against each other and Aomine with a cocky smirk.

"It's okay, right, Satsuki," He made his way to the middle of the court and passed the ball towards Kagami before hunching over like a panther about to strike his prey. "...That I humiliate this potential recruit?"

Kagami noticed that Aomine didn't even regard Imayoshi or Susa, not even look at them once. Instead, he asked Satsuki. It was clear that he had no respect for the captain and the vice, but thought more of their manager.

"Aomine-kun..." Satsuki pursed her lips and gestured towards the others to give them some space. "The coach isn't going to be happy." Despite that, she didn't stop the pair. Why, Kagami wondered. There was bottomless sadness in Satsuki's tone but he wasn't perceptive enough to understand the reason.

"As long as I keep scoring, who cares." Aomine muttered flatly. "Whenever you're ready."

Kagami made a dash towards the ring. He broke past Aomine almost immediately, making him think that the ace was all talk. He didn't stop the gloat because he was going to get the first point right now and then he'd be able to laugh at Aomine's cockiness. There was no way Aomine could be that much better than the rest of the—

Kagami's eyes widened the moment hear the distinct 'slap', followed by the lack of hard rubber returning to his palm. When he turned around, Aomine was already back on the centre circle, orange ball in his hand.

There was no way in hell someone could react like that. It just wasn't possible.

Everything felt like it was going in slow motion as Kagami skidded to a stop and dashed towards Aomine. He had always thought he was fast. Catching up to others was an easy task, especially when the said person was dribbling.

Then why the hell was Aomine's back going further and further away even though he was running as fast as his legs could take him?

The bastard had the audacity to look back, gave him a smirk, then tossed the ball with one hand towards the ring where it hit the backboard and went in.

Five seconds.

That was all it took for Aomine to steal the ball, run to the other side and score.

"You still eager to play?" Was his voice. It was low, mocking, and... and there was something else off about it. Something that Kagami couldn't put his finger on.

There was one thing that ran in his mind at the moment, though.

"One more!" Kagami yelled out, tone firm and determined. "I'll score this time."

But he didn't.

Kagami lost ten straight points in almost no time.

He was on the floor as he let what just happened to sink in. When he looked up, Aomine was there spinning the basketball on his index finger, not a trace of sweat could even be seen on his face. "You seriously want to be a power forward with skill like that? You're not a Tiger," He smirked. "You're just a little baby cub who has no teeth. Go home." Turning around, he threw the ball over his shoulder for Kagami to catch.

If there was one thing he realised, it was that Aomine stopped looking into his eyes after the fifth point. Even now, his hazel still hadn't met blue.

The redhead snapped out of it just in time to grab the ball. Imayoshi, Susa and Wakamatsu immediately jogged towards him, but before they could get close, Kagami stood up. With a loud voice, he screamed out, "One more game!"

Aomine stopped.

The one who just lost threw the ball back at the ace who turned around and caught it with one hand. "One more game," Kagami repeated, his eyes firm as a stone. There was no way he'd leave before their eyes met again. Kagami wanted to make sure that Aomine wouldn't leave this place thinking of him any less just because he got his ass kicked. "You didn't mention that I can't challenge you again once I lose."

"Haah!?" Aomine chucked the ball towards Sakurai who jumped and started apologising. "No way. I wanna sleep."

"As if. You're staying!" Kagami practically grabbed Aomine by the elbow and dragged him back to the court. "We're playing until I score. End of argument!"

"What the hell, dude, I tore you a brand new asshole and you want another!? Are you nuts!?" The blunette yanked his arm back and glowered when Kagami refused to back down. Instead, those hazel eyes burned brighter with conviction. Sighing in exasperation, Aomine put his hands on his waist and used his excess two centimetres to look down on the redhead. "Challenge me again when you can actually play."

"What did you say, bastard!?" Kagami was about to lunge forward, but Susa was already there to restrain him.

"You're shit, that's what I'm saying," The ace poked a finger in his ear and rubbed. "There's nothing I hate more than someone who's all talk. You can play me 'til your legs break, but you'll do fuck-all. Touou won't ever win with a weakling like you as its ace."

"Aomine-kun, that's enough!" Satsuki stepped between the two. Her voice wavered slightly as she stared right into Aomine's eyes.

Unexpectedly enough, the blunette sighed and turned away. He left without so much as a goodbye.

Turning around while slightly frazzled, Satsuki approached the redhead. "Kagami-kun, please don't mind him, he's—"

"I'm joining!" He said, words seething with frustration. Part of it was directed at Aomine's attitude, but another part was at his own helplessness. It was true that as it was, he couldn't hold a candle to Aomine, so he really couldn't argue. If Aomine hated those who were all-talk, then Kagami would just have to be stronger. After all, if there was anything he excelled in, it was being a stubborn, hotheaded fool who would never back down from a challenge.

And what Aomine said? It was as big of a challenge as any.

"I'm joining and I'll kick that guy's ass! I'll be Touou's ace by the end of the year. Just you watch!"

"Hell yeah, dude. That's the spirit," Wakamatsu held his hand up and Kagami met it in a stinging high-five. "Wipe the floor with him and be our new ace. We definitely need one. A _real_ one."

Satsuki clutched her notebook tightly in her arms and hummed appreciatively. "You're very determined, Kagami-kun. If that's the case, then I'll be in charge of your training regiment from now on. You'd best brace yourself!" There was something scary about her giggle that Kagami decided, Touou was a school for the creeps and the thugs.

.

Before Aomine knew it, he was at the rooftop again. The match earlier boiled his blood not in the sense that he got adrenaline pumping but because he was annoyed.

He actually liked Kagami. The guy was spunky, irresistibly sexy and could hold his ground against Aomine's douchiness. That was more of a reason he wanted Kagami to just back off already. For the first time in a long while, he thought he'd be able to find a company—someone fun he could play rough with. There truly was something indestructible about the redhead.

If this kept up, Kagami was just gonna get his hopes up for nothing. He'd train, train, train, then he'd fail.

Then all of the things that made him Kagami would go with him. It happened so many times in the past, he didn't want it happening to the interesting new face.

"Dai-chan, it's time to go home," Satsuki peeked from the door to an expanse of orange sky. Without glancing at her, Aomine stood up and walked down the stairs alongside her. "Kagami-kun joined the team."

Aomine said nothing.

"He's a diamond in the rough. If we polish him right, he will shine," She continued, not minding the silent treatment. A quiet Aomine meant a listening Aomine. "He's still finding his way around the team, but I think he will work well with everyone, especially Wakamatsu-kun."

"What's this," The blunette gave Satsuki a side-smirk. "You're finally giving up on me?"

"Dai-chan, you know that's not it," She put her arms around Aomine's right one. "I just think... that he might be able to stand up to you is all. Maybe the person you've been waiting for is here."

"Are you hearing yourself, Satsuki? Don't say anything if you're so unsure about it." Aomine, too, wanted to desperately believe what she said. He had been waiting for years for someone to appear, but none ever did. Nowadays, any semblance of hope had been defused, leading Aomine to think that maybe it was pointless.

The pink-haired girl loosened her grip and let her hands fall as she stared at the ground, deflated. It was true that she was just grasping at straws, hoping that Kagami would reach his potential. It wasn't rare for athletes to never peak and Kagami's raw talent was lower than Aomine's, to begin with, so even if he _did_ peak... Would he even be able to pose a threat?

"But you can't just lose hope, Dai-chan. I believe in Kagami-kun."

"Whatever. Do what you want."

"I will!" Satsuki stood in front of Aomine just before he could reach the front of his house. "Watch, Dai-chan. I'm going to nurture Kagami-kun and he's going to beat you whether you like it or not!" At the bewildered look displayed by her childhood friend, she puffed up her chest and pointed at Aomine. "By the end of the month, he _will_ score against you!"

The incredulous look remained, and it was well-deserved because it wasn't often that Satsuki became fired up like this, especially lately.

"Also," The index finger that was pointed between his eyes became firmer. "Did you have sex with Kagami-kun?"

"What!?" Aomine almost jumped at the (very true) accusation.

"Everyone could sense the sexual tension between you two earlier. What's that, with chests almost touching and you cupping his face like you're about to make out!"

"Like anyone would dare spread rumours about me," Aomine waved Satsuki off even though the thought of Kagami made him want to go look for that guy right now and maybe be the one to suck his dick this time. "Don't worry. As long as everyone's concerned, you and I are dating."

"You don't have to pretend anymore, Dai-chan," She sighed, finally lowering her hand. "I'm fine, you know? I can protect myself, so if you find someone..."

"I won't," He rolled his eyes. "I don't care about that sort of shit. I just think Kagami's hot for a guy, that's all."

There was a thin smile on Satsuki's lips. She was grateful that despite his crass behaviour, Aomine still cared about her, but she would hate for it to be at the expense of himself. "Well, okay if you say so." She said sadly. She wished that she could do more to help her childhood friend, but her presence wasn't what Aomine hungered for.

Aomine walked past her, not forgetting to tap her head fondly.

She tugged on Aomine's suit jacket. "Will you be okay by yourself today, Dai-chan?"

"I'm not a kid." He smirked before entering his house, leaving Satsuki to stare at the door.

"You say that, but..." With a weak sigh and a heavy heart, she walked away. She knew exactly what Aomine was dealing with. He might act tough at school and in turn, keeping that unapproachable bad boy vibe, but at home, it was a whole another story.

One time already, after a weekend of not seeing Aomine, she barged into his house where he lived alone and found him balled under the blanket in his bed. Initially, she thought he was sleeping, so she pulled the blanket away, only to find out that he wasn't. Instead, he was wide awake, the eye bags under his eyes were visible even through his dark skin.

That day Satsuki learned that Aomine could never sleep at his own place, alone with his ghosts. Others might see him as an indestructible killing machine, but when no one was watching, he broke down quietly.

No one knew about this, though. She suspected not even Kuroko. Because why would they ever think the arrogant, blunt and crass Aomine would be battling this severe depression? She couldn't do anything about it either. Actually, no one could.

However, a saving grace had appeared. Clenching her fingers into a fist, she vowed to forge Kagami through the hottest hellfire and bring out his fullest potential and then some more. Once Aomine saw what a brilliant light Kagami produced, his ghosts would tremble. She was certain of it.


	2. Like Oil and Water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got carried away as usual but what else is new?
> 
> I'm glad to see some people enjoying this! I'll keep writing because I'm having the time of my life lmao
> 
> ~~actually I've already finished chapter 3 but let's not talk about that. I'm writing like 5k words a day and it's becoming a problem~~

Kagami would be lying if he said what happened at the club yesterday deterred him from wanting to suck Aomine's dick again. For someone so cocky, he was actually well-behaved when having his dick sucked. Kagami liked to think that it was his stellar blowjob skill that shut him up, but whatever the reason was, a quiet Aomine was definitely better than a shit-talking one.

The day passed like normal where neither men said anything. Next to him, Aomine insisted on sleeping and Kagami wasn't sure why. He didn't practice and he didn't do shit, why was he always sleeping? Did he have some sort of part-time job from night until morning or something?

He spent time looking at Aomine's complexion again. His left cheek was nestled on top of his crossed arms on the desk, facing away from the window and towards Kagami. From that distance, he could make out traces of eyebags poorly obscured by his eyelashes and saw the way his body gently rises and falls like this classroom was the nicest place to sleep in.

For some reason, the teachers never called him out on it, which led Kagami to think that this must've happened all the time.

During lunch, he was always quick to disappear with Satsuki. Every single time, the girl never failed to put her arm in Aomine's. When it didn't happen, it would be Aomine putting a hand on her shoulder like they were making a show to the entire school about how in love they were.

Something didn't feel quite right, though.

"Are they really dating?" Kagami thought out loud and the group of three girls next to him blinked, confused to see someone talking to himself.

"Aomine-san and Momoi-chan?" One of them, the one in pigtails turned towards Kagami with a smile. "I heard they're childhood friends. Apparently they're already engaged or something and going to get married after they graduate."

"No way, really?" The other one gasped and Kagami dropped the lid of his extra-large bento box.

"Yeah, I heard the rumour last month after you know, that thing. Remember when some guys wouldn't stop harassing Momoi-chan and Aomine-san got into a huge fight with them? He even said that he'll snap the neck of the next guy who touches her."

"He's really scary... You're so brave, sitting next to him, Kagami-kun. Even maintaining eye contact with him like that. Apparently he broke the arm of the previous guy who did that," Said the bespectacled girl with long hair. "I'm glad you're okay. But again, you're a big guy, so you've got nothing to worry about, huh?"

"Momoi-chan is such a sweet girl too... I wonder if she's in that relationship not on her free will?"

"Like being threatened? I can see that!"

As the girls chatted away, Kagami inhaled his lunch, confusing the hell out of all the other students but he wasn't even paying attention. Once finished, he packed up his lunch box and headed outside to stretch his legs.

It was full of students outside and Kagami stuck out like a sore thumb with his bright red hair and stupidly large build. It was easy for him to reach a quieter part of the school, which was the corner where the bathroom was located. There were some flights of stairs that led to the rooftop too.

When Kagami walked past it, he saw Aomine descending. Both of them stopped on their trek to stare at each other.

Aomine had a hand on the back of his neck, but the action of rubbing halted the moment he saw Kagami.

A second before the redhead could scoff and walk past, Aomine grabbed his wrist and dragged him into the toilet.

"Wait, what—"

"I'm horny. Suck me off."

"Dude," Kagami snatched his hand away before he could get pulled into one of the free stalls. "Why don't you get your girlfriend to do it for you?"

"My girlfriend?" Aomine frowned, then a few seconds later, he made an 'o' with his mouth. "Y'mean Satsuki? Nah, forget about her. I don't want her anywhere near my dick."

"Then why are you dating her, shithead? Did she almost bite your cock in half?" He stood his ground even when Aomine began tugging on him.

"No, you stupid idiot. I'm not dating her. She's like a sister to me and if you put my cock and her name next to each other again, I'm gonna bash your skull in."

Oh. Well, that was good enough confirmation that they weren't dating. Kagami knew that there was something weird about them. They looked way too comfortable around each other like they'd been clinging to the other for years and that it was as natural as breathing.

Of course, he wasn't saying two people madly in love couldn't replicate the same scene, but whatever—semantics. Aomine just didn't look like a gentle lover.

"So you gonna suck me off or what?" The dark-skinned male tapped his foot impatiently.

Breathlessly, Kagami muttered, "Fuck yeah I am." Their feud in the basketball court yesterday could be pushed aside for now because aside from that, there was no denying the ridiculous level of attraction they had for each other.

And just like that, Aomine pulled him into the stall and slammed the door shut, locking it. They were men of action, Kagami quickly helped Aomine slide down those pesky pants the moment the belt was unbuckled. He was immediately greeted with the pungent smell of musk radiating from under Aomine's underwear, and Kagami involuntarily licked his lips in anticipation.

Aomine shimmied out of the last piece of clothing, letting them dangle before shoving Kagami's face into his half-hard cock. He'd been waiting for this all day and he wasn't sure that Kagami would agree after what happened yesterday. Good to know they had their priorities straight.

"Fuck, you're so big." The redhead let his hot tongue run over Aomine's balls, then he sucked on them in alternation as he stroke the other to full hardness. The grunt coming from Aomine meant he was doing something right and honestly, that was the only thing Kagami needed to hear.

He eagerly danced his tongue on the tip, making the grip on his scalp tighten, and Aomine threw his head back while letting a hiss escape. Someone might enter at any time, but that didn't faze Kagami. Instead, it only made him hotter. He loved risk, and if the challenge for the day was to make this guy cum before anyone could walk in, then he'd rise to it.

Kagami wasted no time before the tip of Aomine's cock hit the back of his throat. He inhaled so much food on a daily basis, so this was no problem for him. Letting go of his grip on Aomine's waist as a sign that the other could do whatever he wanted, Kagami unbuckled his own belt and pulled out his straining erection.

Their eyes met and all they could see was an overwhelming amount of want. Grabbing a fistful of red hair, Aomine began rocking his hips while shoving Kagami's head towards him. The manhandling only turned Kagami on even more. Yeah, Aomine wouldn't be a gentle partner. Aomine would be the type to dominate the living daylight out of them, whether they liked it or not.

Kagami happened to like that. Of course, dating Aomine was the last thing he wanted to do. If the world was ending and this arrogant asshole was the last man left standing, he would rather die alone. They were oil and water. They'd never gel together and Kagami was okay with that.

The redhead rumbled, creating a vibration with his throat that made the other student flinch. His breathing was jagged, uneven, and Kagami knew he was close.

Aomine cursed under his breath. Everything was made better with Kagami's teary, deviant eyes that burned with passion. His face was flushed pink and drool dripped down his chin. Shoving Kagami's nose in his pubes, Aomine came buckets. He held the redhead there for a long while as he rode his orgasm out.

Kagami's adam's apple bobbed as a result of swallowing the foul but strangely addictive liquid and he pulled away, eyes glazed after his own orgasm.

They were quiet after that. No words were exchanged as they cleaned their own mess and fixed their clothes up to a semi-presentable state. The pair briskly walked out of the bathroom and back towards the stairs. However, before they parted, Aomine grabbed Kagami's phone out of his back pocket.

"The hell are you doing?" He scowled when he saw the blunette typing away and then giving it back to its rightful owner.

"My number. Give me yours and I'll call you when I'm horny," He said, without hesitation proposing a friends-with-benefits arrangement that Kagami certainly wasn't opposed to. "And you can do the same too. I live alone, so no dramas."

"Yeah, me too." Replied Kagami as he sent a popping vein emoji to Aomine's number.

That was met with a chuckle as Aomine sent back a poop emoji. "Good. Laters, then." The blunette quickly walked up the stairs to spend what few minutes left of his lunch break with Satsuki.

"Hey!" Kagami called out when the other stepped on the landing. "You coming to practice?"

Aomine rolled his eyes and waved before resuming his trip up the rooftop.

.

The rest of the week passed by in a blur. Practice had been going smoothly and he finally managed to wrap his head around his teammates' roles and specialities. Just he had initially assumed, everyone's individual skill was unbelievable. However, there was one person he severely underestimated.

Momoi Satsuki.

She was arguably the most dangerous person involved with the club, aside from Aomine. Her data was precise and her predictions were hardly ever incorrect. It was like she was a machine wrapped in a human body, constantly crunching numbers and regurgitating them to boost the team's performance.

If the players were the bricks, she was the cement. Kagami now understood why Aomine respected her.

"Alright, everyone!" Satsuki clapped her hands once, catching everyone's attention. It was already time to clean up, it looked like. Kagami still hadn't had enough yet, so he thought about spending some time in the street court close to his apartment.

On the bench, Coach Harasawa sat with his legs crossed and expression icy as usual. Just like Momoi, he was an observer too. He gave everyone pointers on how to fix their forms and would constantly liaise with the manager to discuss training regiments.

And oh boy, those regiments were ruthless.

"Okay, listen up everyone," Said Harasawa flatly, standing up from the bench. "We are having a practice match on Monday. The opponent is Seirin."

"Seirin?" Wakamatsu had a huge question mark on his face. "Why Seirin? They're not exactly... known."

Harasawa's eyes landed on Kagami, and the redhead stiffened his posture. "We will not use Aomine for this match."

"That means..." Kagami's eyes glimmered with excitement. "I get to play as the power forward?"

"Alright!" Wakamatsu looked just as excited as the two exchanged a high-five. More and more often would they share that. Kagami learned that Wakamatsu was one of the coolest guys he'd met so far in Japan. His passion for basketball was refreshing and the way he'd bitch about Aomine was always fun.

"I expect good results from you, Kagami."

"Yes! ...Sir!" The redhead straightened his back and pressed both his hands on his side. Imayoshi gave him a pat on the back as everyone was dismissed and Sakurai even offered a shy congratulation. They were gestures that only pumped Kagami up even more.

Satsuki looked somewhat sombre, though, Kagami noted. She had been staring at the polished wooden floor for a few seconds too long that it made Kagami worry. So, he approached her.

"Are you okay, Momoi-san?"

"Ah, Satsuki is fine," She smiled. "I'm fine."

"Okay...?" Kagami was unsure whether to press or withdraw. Instead, he stood there awkwardly in silence until Satsuki's expression drooped again.

"Kagami-kun, you're a returnee, so you wouldn't know, but there is someone on Seirin's team," She exhaled softly. "His name is Kuroko and he's—was, Dai-chan's best friend."

Unable to hold back a scoff, Kagami smirked. "What, did the idiot ruin it all?"

"You can say that," Satsuki sighed sadly, a faint smile on her lips. "He... well, he wasn't always like this. Dai-chan was much nicer back then, warmer. Kind of like you, Kagami-kun." At the questioning look the redhead shot, she stammered. "Aah, I-I said too much! Just remember to not underestimate them. I'm going to find Dai-chan now! Good work today, Kagami-kun."

"Uh, okay, sure. See ya!" He watched her trotting away before retreating into the changing room.

"Kagami," Wakamatsu regarded as he closed his locker and grabbed his bag. "You up for some one-on-one after this or will you be resting?"

"Yes please! ...Senpai!" He grinned excitedly as he grabbed his bag. "No need to change, right? Let's go now!"

Wakamatsu's lips quivered at the display of genuine hype and he put a hand on Kagami's shoulder. "I love you, Kagami. If only _you_ 're our ace instead of that blue asshole."

"What's that, senpai? I'll definitely be Touou's ace in a few months. A lazy bastard who doesn't practice won't ever outdo me."

"Amen to that! Man, I'm so glad you joined the team. I feel like I can rest easy knowing someone like you will soon be in the first string." He put a hand around Kagami's shoulders and walked outside with Imayoshi shaking his head at the duo.

"They're becoming fast friends, aren't they?" The captain chuckled, amused more than anything.

"Uh, w-what do you think of Kagami-kun, captain?" Sakurai tentatively asked the bespectacled male whose smile grew, immediately startling the poor brunette.

"His natural talent is not on Aomine's level, but," He paused for the dramatic effect. "Aomine would best watch his back."

.

Sometimes the sound of hard rubber bouncing against wood made Aomine want to scream.

Once upon a time, it was music to his ears. Nowadays, it was nothing but torture.

"I'm home." The teen said quietly, not bothering to turn on the lights as he traversed through the empty and cold hallway. The curtain hadn't been parted and it smelt like dirty laundry inside.

There was no answer, but that was to be expected. After all, no one except for him and Satsuki had stepped foot in here for the past six months. He didn't even know why he bothered announcing his arrival anymore. Probably just a force of habit.

With a tired sigh, he let the orange sky burst into the living room and opened the balcony door to allow for some much-needed ventilation. The dark-skinned male glanced at the red light that flashed on his house phone and walked over to play the mailbox that his parents must have left.

 _"Daiki,"_ It was his father's voice. _"Sorry, but the trip will be extended for another four months, at least. There is a lot to be done here. Once I'm finished, I'll go straight home,"_

And that was it.

What even was the point of the message, Aomine laughed humourlessly as he ignored it.

Putting some water in the electric kettle, Aomine prepared two packs of instant ramen. On the back of his head, he could hear Satsuki yelling at him for his poor diet, but he could really care less. As he tapped away on his phone to check the latest news on the sports world, he kept an eye for the time. Once three minutes had elapsed, he poured the instant noodles onto a bowl.

He spent the rest of the night watching movies and then lying on the bed, eyes wide open. The time was 12:03 AM.

For a second, he tried keeping them closed with rock music playing in the background. It wasn't loud nor was it quiet, but it was like his head decided to block out any noise that wasn't important.

The eerie silence only accompanied by the muffled thrumming of bass only amplified the ringing in his ears.—it made voices of the past to fill the space and slowly, he suffocated. His lips pursed into a straight line as he chewed them. The ticking of the clock became unbearable like it was a time bomb counting down to the moment it'd explode.

His head hurt; his heart ached like there was a big gaping hole where it was supposed to be.

Aomine turned around to face the wall. He pulled the blanket over himself, pillows squeezing against his ears and forced himself to fall into the clutch of dreams to no avail. The longer he kept his eyes closed, the more deafening the voices became.

The squeaking of shoes against wood, the sound of a basketball hitting the floor, the noise of the audience chanting his name, his teammates' voice echoing in the distance.

_Go away go away go away go away—_

He curled into a foetal position while pushing the pillows harder to cover his ears, but it only made everything louder.

Only when he snapped his eyes open that they disappeared and the music resumed.

Of course, he'd never tell anyone why he kept falling asleep in class.

_._

Aomine didn't know about the practice match with Seirin until a few minutes before it happened. He was on the rooftop looking down on the schoolyard when he saw tall guys in a white, black and red jersey. Only after a few seconds did he notice Kuroko walking among them.

He gripped the mesh fence separating the rooftop from certain death before he ran downstairs to see what that was all about, Whatever it was, he wasn't invited. While he didn't really care and honestly, thankful that Satsuki was considerate enough to let him be ignorant, he wanted to see if anything had changed—if Kuroko had gotten any better, and most importantly if he had found a new light.

The moment Aomine burst into the gym, everyone's eyes fell onto him. Even Kagami was surprised to see the laziest ace appearing out of nowhere.

Satsuki, seemingly had already seen it coming only patted the empty space next to her on the bench. "Kagami-kun is playing in your stead today." She said softly, sadly.

"Yeah, no shit." The dark-skinned male threw himself next to her, eyes looking through Kagami and right onto Kuroko. His shadow regarded him with a sombre look, but he approached the bench since the game had yet to start.

"You are not playing, Aomine-kun."

He scoffed in response. "Show me that I need to play, then I'll play."

"You can do it, Tetsu-kun!" Momoi squealed some more, her affection for the small boy triumphing above his teammates.

A look of curiosity flashed on Kagami's face when he saw the three but decided to keep the questions for later.

Aomine observed the match from the sidelines. His eyes mostly zoned in on Kuroko but at times, Kagami caught his attention too. The redhead's plays reminded him of his, the way he'd charge in with reckless abandon and the flashy ways he'd score. His skill was passable at best, definitely one of the better ones in the team, but it wasn't enough to sate Aomine's thirst.

However, Satsuki seemed like she saw something in him, and the girl had always been perceptive when it came to one's latent potential. If anyone could bring it out, it would be her.

Part of him wanted to believe that this time, it would be true—that Kagami would be the one. However, another part of him told him to stop with the wishful thinking.

Maybe it'd be better if he was born in America. That way, he probably still had tonnes of strong opponents to face.

The first timeout was used by Touou after Kuroko increasingly became a thorn on everyone's sides and Aomine found himself yawning. There was nothing special about the game so far. Kagami had gotten a little better and looked like he worked very well with Wakamatsu and Susa.

Kuroko was still Kuroko. He did some interesting plays with the other players but nothing that exceeded Aomine's expectations. His team was okay, their teamwork was solid, but they couldn't bring out the best in the phantom sixth man. Actually, this seemed like, instead of having one light to hide behind, the entire Seirin was Kuroko's light. Their lights individually was dim, but they were a bit brighter when combined.

Maybe they'd get better in time for interhigh. Aomine could only hope they could entertain him a little. He still liked Kuroko and thought it was a shame that they fell out, but it was in the past now. Their personalities just didn't fit anymore.

"Ow!" Aomine held the back of his head after someone slapped it. When he looked up, Kagami glared at him with those intense hazel eyes that made Aomine's stormy blue challenge them.

"Stop yawning, jerk."

"Can't help it. Everyone plays like six years old." The blunette said in short sentences as he laid back on the bench using his hands as support.

"Then _play_ if you're so unimpressed!" Kagami had his hands on his waist as he yelled at Aomine who sat there, looking at him sleepy-eyed. "Why are you always so tired anyway, don't you sleep at night!? Oh wait," His eyes shone with realisation. "Do you secretly practice at night, is that it?"

"Haah!? Why on earth would I wanna do that!?" The dark-skinned male shot to his feet and glared at Kagami and grabbed him by the collar. "Stop picking a fight with me, bastard."

In response, the current ace grabbed Aomine's shirt and hissed. "Then stop being so fucking fightable."

The sound of Harasawa clearing his throat was enough for Kagami to jump back, but not Aomine. He continued glaring at the redhead before his eyes caught Kuroko's. Satsuki was already there next to the two with Imayoshi to stop them before anything could escalate.

The icy blue eyes of his old friend made him flinch. He used to be able to read everything, but now, he couldn't see anything. Perhaps it was too late to salvage what was left of them, after all. "Screw this. I'm leaving."

As the game resumed behind him, Aomine slammed the gymnasium door shut. As expected, nothing there came even remotely close to rekindling the light that had died. He shouldn't be surprised or disappointed, yet he still was.

.

The match ended in Touou's victory by a good amount. Even then, Kagami couldn't help being impressed by the supposedly weak team. They put up a hell of a fight and that Kuroko guy was really interesting. So much so that he approached the small male after the match when he was cooling down.

"Good game." Kagami nodded at the boy who looked a little surprised at his presence.

"Yes, good game... uhm, Kagami-kun." He smiled thinly and echoed the redhead's nod.

"It's seriously weird how you disappeared and appeared like that. I feel like I was watching some horror movie." He shuddered at the memory and wished that he hadn't said that out loud because now he was just scaring himself.

In response, the Seirin member chuckled. There was a momentary silence as Kuroko tied his shoelaces and looked up at Kagami. It looked like he was about to say something but ended up closing his lips.

So, Kagami took it upon himself to speak. "You and that bastard Aomine. Satsuki told me you were friends?"

A dark look flitted across the baby blue eyes as he tentatively nodded. "You look like you can handle him, Kagami-kun."

"Me!? No way, I'm always so close to slamming his stupid face in with my fist," The redhead growled in displeasure while Kuroko only stared at him with unreadable eyes. "Anyway, I'm looking forward to playing you in a real match." He turned around and was about to leave, but Kuroko called out to him in a soft voice.

"Kagami-kun, do you have time after this?"

.

A few things Kagami learned from Kuroko: Generation of Miracles, the weird concept of shadow and light that he still didn't understand and that Aomine was an idiot. Well, the latter wasn't really anything new,

He walked with Satsuki home after the manager insisted she joined. The whole time in the burger joint, she clung to her Tetsu-kun, practically suffocating the poor bugger with her monster tits but he remained unfazed. Instead, he just continued slurping on his vanilla milkshake emotionlessly.

"So you want me to beat Aomine to get him off his high horse." Kagami repeated what the two said earlier.

The simple retelling made Satsuki giggle. She put her arms around Kagami's and looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

 _Okay, so this is just how she acts around everyone,_ Kagami sighed. She was just naturally touchy-feely. Aomine wasn't an exception. If anything, he had it worse since they were childhood friends and all.

"It's more than just giving him a reality check," She said. "But you won't trust me even if I explain it to you, so it's better to just see it for yourself. You _can_ handle it right, Kagami-kun?"

"Of course I can! I don't know what the deal with him is, thinking he's above everyone else." Any talk relating to Aomine never failed to boil his blood. Sure, Kuroko and Satsuki said earlier that once upon a time, Aomine was a decent human being, but it certainly didn't look like it. How much could a handful of years change a person?

"Yay! I'm rooting for you, Kagami-kun. How's your training regiment?" Momoi pulled up his long track pants to see ankle weights still attached, all throughout the match earlier with Seirin, although he did take some off during the game just so he could play more seriously.

"I can't wait to take these things off." The redhead sighed.

"Oh come on, you take them off on the weekends," She giggled. "And besides, I told Dai-chan that by the end of the month, you'll be able to score against him. You'd better make the basket, okay? Otherwise..."

"Otherwise?"

The cloud that covered Satsuki's eyes disappeared in an instant as she let go of Kagami's arm and put her hands on her waist. "Otherwise I'm going to be very disappointed in you!"

She really was like a doting older sister, Kagami decided. "When is the line-up for interhigh going to be decided?"

"Someone's eager," Her strict mother hen face melted into one of joy. "It won't be until next month, mid-July. If you do well, you might be able to play."

"Seriously!?"

"Yeah, since Dai-chan always comes late for the first match. I'm pretty sure the coach will put you in."

"For some reason that doesn't make me feel any better." The redhead groaned. He didn't even know what else he was expecting from that asshole.

A comfortable silence fell as they walked towards the train station. Satsuki turned her wrist to check her watch, then she muttered, "I'm going to check on Dai-chan."

"Oh right, he said he lives alone. Looks like you've got your hands full taking care of him, huh? Can't say I'm jealous."

In response, Satsuki smiled weakly. Anything related to Aomine might anger Kagami, but it had the opposite effect on Satsuki. Her mood always dropped at the mention of him, ascertaining the fact that the history surrounding the ace was an ugly one.

The only mention of his past they talked about earlier was that: one, Aomine used to be different and two, his overwhelming talent and passion turned themselves on him. Kagami didn't quite understand the latter, though. How could two positive things destroy someone?

"It's not really a chore. He's a good friend of mine, like a brother. Of course I want to make sure he's okay. He's just... not in a good space right now, but I know he'll get better. I believe in him."

There was love coming out of Satsuki's every word despite how much the two bickered during the day. With a curious frown, Kagami looked at her. "Uhm," He started, taking the girl's attention. "Aomine said you two aren't dating, but the rumours... Aren't you going to say something about that? Everyone at school is misunderstanding your relationship."

For a second, Kagami thought Satsuki wasn't going to answer, considering the thoughtful look on her face. However, the next second, she looked up at Kagami with a pair of tender eyes. "That was intentional," She then turned around to look at the night sky, stars dusted with cloud and pollution. "You see, a lot of boys asked me out during the first month school started. I refused all of them, but... well, some were too determined."

Kagami could see why people would be interested in Satsuki. She was gorgeous, bubbly and extremely intelligent. If he were straight, he was sure he'd be head over heels for her too.

"I was happy just ignoring their increasingly annoying advances because I didn't wanna cause any trouble, but Dai-chan didn't like that. So, he took care of them for me and... well, he told everyone that I'm his girl and that he'd kill the next guy who tries to go for me."

"Oh." Was Kagami's response. That was actually... a very valid reason for the rumour. If he was in Aomine's shoes then he'd definitely do the same thing. But the idea of that lazyass doing anything nice to people, well, it was beyond Kagami's comprehension.

"I mean, I could protect myself just fine without the dramatics and that's why I scolded him for five days straight after that," And Kagami understood this much. He had a feeling that anyone who got on Satsuki's bad side would suffer a slow and horrible death. "But that's just how Dai-chan is. He might look like... _that_ , but he is a very kind, considerate person underneath."

"Uhh... I still find that hard to believe, somehow." Kagami scratched his head. Why must everything be so damn complicated? Aomine could've just been another asshole that Kagami would be more than happy to trample in basketball, but _nooooooo_ , he gotta be some lamb in wolf's clothing. It was too much for Kagami to wrap his head around.

Seeing the troubled look on Kagami's face prompted Satsuki to slap his back, making the poor thing lurch forward and almost lost his balance. "I'm not saying you have to play nice with him or anything. He's not the easiest person to get along with, but maybe..." She tucked a strand of pink behind her ear. "Maybe you can speak to him sometimes?"

"That's not happening." Kagami replied flatly and almost too quickly.

"Yeah, of course not!" She let out a laugh. "I've said too much already. See you tomorrow, Kagami-kun."

The two parted ways and Kagami was left with information that he didn't know what to with. As he walked into the train station, he thumbed Aomine's name on his phone. It was only when he boarded the train that he sent a one word message saying: 'asshole'.

"Shit, I really hate that guy." The redhead scowled, teeth clenched hard against each other. When he received an almost-immediate response, Kagami snorted.

It read: 'fuck you'.

"Yeah, fuck you too." He whispered before putting his earphones on and pocketing his phone.


	3. Fragments of Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't mind me, I'm dabbing my way through this fic like the freak I am. Do I get an award for the fastest updating author? I better do or I'll have to step it up
> 
> I bet your ass I'mma finish this fic in 2 months
> 
> I've started outlining for the next 4 chapters and I'm just gonna type away til my fingers fall off (they're already damn sore as is, what am I doing to myself really)
> 
> ~~ok the problem with me is once i lose interest I'll never update, like ever, so i wanna type while I'm still keen~~

The rooftop was known as the out-of-bounds area in almost all schools due to its notoriety for the distasteful. Be it the unfortunate cases of suicide, violence or sex, most places chose to lock this place. Generally, it was pretty unkempt too since no one came here except for the janitors once a week.

Still, students usually managed to sneak in one way or another. The more restrictions were placed, the more likely they were to break them. However, in Touou, everyone knew better than to go to the roof.

Because that was where Aomine and his 'fiance' usually hung out during lunch. Rumours had it that they used that place to have sex and if anyone dared step foot out there, they would be met with an untimely demise. No one wanted to cross the 192 centimetres tall Aomine Daiki who weighed 87 kilograms of solid muscles. Apparently he even sent Wakamatsu who was as big as he was to the infirmary once.

"So... Why is he here!?"

Kagami who was busy chewing food from one of his three bento boxes looked up at Aomine who pointed at him. "Is there a rule saying I can't be here?"

"The more the merrier, right?" The perpetrator, Satsuki, laughed as she took some food from Kagami's lunchbox since the redhead offered her some. "Wow, this is _delicious_!"

Hearing the squeal of glee coming out of Satsuki who chewed a piece of tempura like it was an orgasmic experience, Aomine immediately grabbed Kagami's bento box and shoved a mouthful into his mouth.

"Oi!" The owner promptly snatched back what was his with an aggravated expression. "You have your own food, so eat it!"

"Shit," Aomine's eyes were wide open the moment the juicy tempura melted on his tongue. "Your girlfriend made that for you or something?"

"No, I make my own lunch, thank you very much, unlike a certain lazy idiot."

A second later, Kagami felt Aomine's fingers tightening around his right wrist, followed with navy blue eyes drilling into his. "Kagami," He said, voice low and really, _really_ seductive. "Make my lunch from now on."

"No. Asshole." The redhead gave Aomine the bird as he shoved the blunette away.

"Aww, look at you two being all friends already!"

"Who the hell wanna be friends with him!" Both of them yelled at the same time, much to their chagrin. "Just to be clear, I would _never_ be friends with you," Kagami pressed his index finger on Aomine's nose and scooted two metres away. "Oh, no lunch either. You can starve to death for all I care."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," That didn't stop Aomine from stealing Kagami's other lunchbox and ran up the stairs to the highest part of the roof with Kagami screaming at him. "I don't wanna be friends with someone who sucks ass at basketball anyway."

"Next week!" The redhead's voice was filled to the brim with frustration. He really, absolutely couldn't stand this man. It was times like these that made what Satsuki said a few nights ago hard to believe. "I'm gonna kick your ass next week, okay? Just you watch."

Aomine was too busy eating to care, forcing a _'listen to others when they're talking!'_ from the other male. Anyone who happened to be close to the rooftop must've done an immediate u-turn because it sounded like these two stocky boys were slugging each other. Even Kagami's reputation for being kinda friendly didn't help.

A few minutes of calm finally stretched as all of them finished their food. Satsuki and Kagami were talking about adding some more weights to the ankles when they finally noticed Aomine hadn't said anything in a while.

As if reading Kagami's thought, Satsuki pressed a finger against her lips. "Dai-chan is asleep."

"Yeah, why the hell is he always asleep and why do you let him?" The disgruntled redhead scowled.

"It's kinda a long story, but he usually doesn't get any sleep at home. Anyway, it doesn't really matter," She lied, feigning light-heartedness even though Kagami knew there was more to it than insomnia. By this point, he already understood that Aomine was one jumbled, complicated mess he didn't really wanna try to understand.

.

Kagami spent the rest of the week following Satsuki's freak training regiment to the T. His legs were pushed to the limits but never too far. She even gave him a diet menu to be followed and light exercises to do whenever he had free times. How she could do this like ten more times was beyond him.

All of her instructions were very specific down to which muscles should be sore after which exercise and when to rest each body part. Based on what Kuroko said after hanging out with the boy a few more times after the practice match, she had always been like that. Out of all the members of the Miracles, she was the one who loved basket the most.

Actually, Kuroko had been a welcome guest in his place for a couple of times already. Like right now, he was relaxing on the living room watching a replay of an NBA match while slurping the vanilla milkshake Kagami made for him.

"You would make an excellent wife, Kagami-kun."

"Huh!?"

"Ah, he scored," Kuroko said with his eyes still transfixed at the screen, voice slightly surprised. The noise from the TV blared on, the crowd cheering and commentators doing what they do best. Sometime during the game, Kagami had settled next to the boy with a stack of food he put on the coffee table. "Your appetite is really something else..."

"This is totally normal. Besides, I need this much after what Satsuki puts me through," He started shovelling food inside his mouth as he spoke. "Damn, wasn't expecting Raptors to lead the second half."

"Hm. Crowder isn't doing so great. They will do something about it by the second half, though."

"What's your favourite team, Kuroko?" He grabbed a piece of meatball and shoved a side dish towards the Seirin student, then gestured at him to have some.

"I'm impartial, but if I had to pick, it'll be Spurs. And you look like a Bulls fan, Kagami-kun." The smaller boy regarded with a nod as he helped himself to some chicken wings.

"Heh, you got that right. MJ is the best. Too bad he's retiring soon."

For a moment, Kuroko was quiet and didn't shift focus from the screen. Instead, he continued enjoying his milkshake. "I heard you will be playing Aomine-kun tomorrow."

"Yeah, at the street court nearby. You should come, so you get to see how I kick his ass." Kagami's voice was muffled thanks to all the food.

"How many times have you played against him, Kagami-kun?"

"Huh? Once," When the food was finally swallowed, Kagami groaned. "If only he's not an arrogant asshole, we would've gotten along... probably."

"Why do you say that?"

"He's so good, I think if he co-operates a bit, everyone can learn from him. Y'know, raising the team's level instead of being a goddamn spotlight whore." Kagami shook his head in frustration.

"Aomine-kun never asked to be in the spotlight," Kuroko replied almost too curtly that it made Kagami think twice to what he said earlier. The sentence that followed was a bit calmer, though. "I suppose it's what comes with playing the flashiest position. Just like a band, the vocal is always the one to get all the attention. For example," The boy with baby-blue hair turned towards Kagami. There was something seriously disconcerting about those blank eyes of his. "Why do you play power forward?"

"Uh... because it's fun? Like getting the ball and scoring. The rush that comes after is nice. Satisfying, I guess." Honestly, he never thought about it much so it was difficult to put his thoughts into words.

"Mm." Was Kuroko's response, along with a nod.

"What 'mm'!? Stop being so cryptic, dammit!"

"I'm not. You are just intellectually and socially challenged, Kagami-kun."

"Why are you insulting your host!?"

"It's not an insult if it's true."

"Kuroko!"

Ignoring Kagami's outburst, the boy shifted the topic. "Why did you come to Touou, Kagami-kun?"

"Because it's close to home. Honestly, it was between two places because they were equally cheap. One was here and the other was near Seirin," Retorted the redhead. "If I had gone with the other apartment, I'd be playing with you. Can you imagine that?" He grinned at the prospect of playing with the phantom sixth man of Teiko. Unlike the other bluehead, Kagami got along with Kuroko just fine because they might bicker, but it was all in good humour.

"I'm sure we play together, in another timeline."

"What?" He frowned.

"Parallel universe," Kuroko replied shortly. "I think it's fine. You attending Touou—maybe for the best, even. Unlike me, you can handle Aomine-kun."

"Kuroko?" The redhead placed his chopsticks down and angled his body towards his friend.

"I was his best friend, yet I couldn't do anything when he needed me the most, but you, Kagami-kun—" Suddenly, he stopped. His eyes fluttered wide open as if he just realised he made a mistake. "Ah, my apologies. Please, disregard what I said. It's a good thing that you are there as his rival."

"I don't think he acknowledges me as one. Not yet, anyway. It's frustrating, but I'm not strong enough to beat him by myself," The sound of the audience cheering through the TV was loud as a sign that someone just made an amazing shot. "But I'll get there. I'll catch up to him and show him that the world doesn't revolve around him. Then, he'll have no other choice but call me his rival."

There was silence as Kuroko stared into Kagami's determined hazel eyes with awe.

Then a chuckle.

"Hey, why are you laughing!?" Seeing how much Kuroko's shoulders shook, the redhead's face turned into the same shade as his hair.

"Such a simple answer... As expected from you, Kagami-kun."

"W-what does that even mean? Stop insulting me!" 

"That wasn't meant to be an insult. In fact, I admire that resolve. You really are similar to Aomine-kun," The bluehead's eyes softened as he finished his milkshake. "Kagami-kun, can you promise me something?"

"Hm?"

"Defeat the entirety of Generation of Miracles. Shuutoku, Kaijo, Yosen, Rakuzan," He paused. "Touou," The last one took Kagami by surprise, but he supposed both Kuroko and Satsuki had been talking about how much they wanted him to make Aomine taste bitter defeat, which was completely fine by him. "I'm not strong enough to do it. Of course, I'll try my best too, but... Kagami-kun might be more suitable for the job."

"Heh, you don't have to ask me twice. That was the plan all along!" He offered a fist to Kuroko who blinked before a small smile grew on his face.

"I'm looking forward to facing Touou." Their knuckles then met.

.

Saturday came and as promised, Satsuki arrived in front of Aomine's house to make sure he wouldn't be late for his one-on-one with Kagami.

He somehow managed to get two hours of sleep despite the usual bullshit he had to deal with.

 _I need to pick up some sleeping pills again on the way back..._ The dark-skinned male grumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck, Satsuki practically dragging him towards the court. _And while I'm at it, maybe..._

One hand that was stuffed in his pocket firmly clenched around a piece of paper that had been through some wear and tear. It was one that Satsuki gave him a couple of months ago and he promised her he would 'sleep on it'. Jokes on her though because he couldn't do that even if he wanted to.

"Do I really have to?" He moaned, frustrated and his eyebags scrunching as he yawned. The court was already in sight now, but he wasn't feeling motivated to crush Kagami's hopes and dreams.

Aomine had intentionally avoided visiting the rooftop after school was over so Satsuki couldn't find him and drag him to the gym—he didn't want to see Kagami working his butt off in hope of scoring a point only to have all that effort thrown back at him.

He liked Kagami. He really did. Under normal circumstances, Aomine was convinced they'd be the best buddies, not some weird mix of athletes who hated each other, fought at every opportune moment and also sucked the other's dick occasionally. Though it was mostly Kagami who did the hating. What Aomine didn't like about the redhead was his determination. It was the one thing that would be his downfall.

Soon enough, the ace wannabe would realise that he wouldn't be able to hold a candle to Aomine and that all those times he spent slaving away amounted to nothing, at the end of the day.

And after that, Kagami would just be another voice haunting him at night—one voice among many that were fuelled with hatred, disappointment, _fear_.

How many times did this have to happen before he finally broke?

Before Satsuki finally, said fuck it and gave up on him?

This would probably be the final straw, he thought as he saw Kagami gleaming in the sun. His eyes were ablaze with conviction and a basketball grasped tightly in his palms. The ring attached to a chain around his neck reflected the light that glared at Aomine, making him squint momentarily.

On the bench, sat Kuroko, Imayoshi and Wakamatsu.

"I'm gonna beat you today, asshat!" The redhead announced proudly while Aomine walked past him, hands still in his pocket.

"Yeah. Let's get this over with." _I'll make it as painless as possible for you, Tiger._

.

There was something very wrong with Aomine.

It wasn't only Kagami who noticed it, but Kuroko and Satsuki as well. His eyes were as lifeless as a doll's as he lazily stood near the centre ring, eyebags adorning those dark, stormy blue orbs.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up. Aomine was quiet but it almost looked like he was saying 'I'll cut off your head in one swift strike'.

The tense aura only excited Kagami. This man in front of him was about to go all out and show him what exactly he was capable of. As suspected, that showing in the gym last month wasn't all there was to Aomine Daiki.

Satsuki was the one who tossed the ball. The rubber object went straight up and with all his ankles weight gone, Kagami _flew._

Never in anyone's lives had they ever seen Aomine's eyes open that wide. His pupils trembled inside his sclera as he saw Kagami's shadow towering over him. At that moment, Kagami was the goliath.

His large hand easily stole the ball and immediately dashed past the stunned Aomine who still had no idea what the hell just happened.

Of course, that wasn't the end. One would be foolish to think that it was.

Aomine sprinted towards Kagami, his body lunging forward like a panther chasing a deer. Everyone's attention was transfixed at how quickly the blunette caught up to the one who ran first. Just like the first time they played, Aomine slapped the ball away from behind the redhead.

_No way. No way._

Kagami's teeth clenched against each other. _I'm faster than before. I_ know _for a fact that I should've been able to outspeed—_

_I'll cut off your head in one swift strike._

The sentence echoed inside Kagami's head the moment he saw static from Aomine's eyes.

"Dai-chan..." Satsuki covered her lips with both her hands. She slumped onto the bench right next to Kuroko who was biting his lower lip, hands fisting his pants.

"He's in the zone..." Still with his signature smirk, Imayoshi watched as Aomine dunked the ball in no time at all. "Man, he really wants to destroy Kagami. I don't think I've ever seen him entering it during one-on-one."

"Tch. You better not lose, Kagami!" Wakamatsu clicked his tongue even though he was extremely concerned at the imbalanced playing field.

The redhead froze when Aomine turned around to look at him. No words were exchanged, yet there was a chill on his bones. So this was Aomine Daiki.

It was a bloody massacre.

Aomine already bagged thirteen out of the fifteen points he needed to win. Flash of blue zapped through the court with no one able to keep up. Kagami put up a respectable fight, somehow managing to deny a few points from Aomine, but that wasn't enough.

Still, the fire inside Kagami refused to die. Just one point. One point. One. He was confident that he could score one.

However, as Aomine dashed right past him, he heard the soft, lifeless, "Goodbye, Kagami."

The ball rolled onto the pavement after the fourteenth point.

"Why..." The redhead balled his fingers into his fists, then he grabbed Aomine's shirt and dragged their faces closer together. "You've got that much skill, but why do you sound so fucking _sad_!?" His yell surprised everyone. "Even though you're practically burning the fucking court down with those ridiculous moves... why the hell aren't you even a little bit happy? Why aren't you having _fun?_ "

If it was up to him, he'd be having the time of his life. Aomine's movement was always so out of this world, so hypnotic. If Kagami could do that, he would definitely hone it further and further to see how far he could take it.

The static in Aomine's eyes died down after witnessing the sudden outburst. Grinding his teeth, he grabbed both of Kagami's hands and hissed. "You don't know shit about me. Stop being so fucking patronising and just lose like the worthless trash you are."

Kagami wanted nothing more than to slam his fist into Aomine's face, but the way his eyes contorted in pain after saying those words made Kagami stop himself. Instead of giving in to violence, he shoved Aomine away and picked up the ball.

Were all of his spiteful words just a fucked up defence mechanism?

"Let's keep playing. It's not over yet."

.

Aomine wasn't sure how to describe Kagami.

Even though that guy was losing, his fire burned brighter than his own. There was no trace of fear inside his eyes. Instead, he looked like he was rearing to go even more than before.

Kagami was fierce.

And so, _so_ radiant.

It was at that moment, Aomine saw a glimmer of hope. It was small, but it illuminated his darkness, enough for him to grasp and hold on to.

But did he want to take the chance?

How many times had he been crushed all because of a falsely placed hope? Did he want to go through the same pain again? How many more times could he do this? He was damn tired of waiting, so sick of dreaming of someone who would never come.

He wanted Kagami to be that person; to be the one to finally make the voices stop. But the risk was too great for him to want to take. What if Kagami never lived up to his expectation, what if Kagami quit halfway after realising what a futile journey this was, what if—

As he watched Kagami's body soaring above him and slamming the ball inside the ring, Aomine smiled a little.

Maybe he'd give Kagami all of the hope he had left inside of him. It wasn't much—pathetic at best, but it was all he had.

He prayed, he prayed, he _prayed_ that this wasn't a mistake.

.

The moment the ball touched the ground, Kagami took a deep breath. Then, he let out the loudest battle cry that was followed with the cheers of the audiences, even Kuroko who clapped excitedly. Wakamatsu was quick to charge towards Kagami and tackled him, congratulating him on stealing a point from Aomine while Imayoshi let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

It was a momentous moment for everyone. It was only a point, but it was one to be celebrated.

"I got one," Kagami looked at Aomine whose eyes were wide in shock as if he was still trying to compute what just happened. "And next time, I'll get more," He stretched his right arm to form a fist. "And then more, more, more and a _lot_ more until you can't do shit against me."

Aomine's eyes melted into a pair that showed some glimmer, and the sight surprised Kagami. As the taller male turned around with a scoff, he said, "Ridiculous. It's only one point, why're you acting like you just won the nationals?" Even though he said that, there was no bite in his words. In its place was a thin smile.

It might've all been a fluke. Kagami's adrenaline rush was at its peak and Aomine had just exited the zone, so he was quite disoriented. However, it was a point nonetheless. Certainly one more than anyone outside the Miracles could've done.

Aomine wanted to go home and calm himself down. There was a sudden thrumming in his heart that he had already forgotten how to deal with.

.

Kagami was chuffed that he managed to score a valid point against Aomine, but he was not happy that the guy ran away almost immediately.

Still, Satsuki's training regiment, harsh as it might be, worked wonder. Kagami felt like he could fly now. His jumping power had improved tremendously, and his stamina too. With a little more time, he'd be able to compete with Aomine, he was certain of it.

"You're in a good mood, Kagami-kun." Was Kuroko's remark as he observed the redhead with a smile.

Satsuki who was pressed up against him nodded enthusiastically. "He scored against Dai-chan, after all. I knew you can do it, Kagamin!"

_Kagamin? What?_

He gobbled up what was left of his burger and licked his fingers clean before frowning. "I did. But what was that? He went twice as fast as before at some point. And I could see the... the electricity."

The question instilled pensive looks on the table, but Imayoshi was the first to speak. "Zone. It's a state of intense focus that can only be achieved by a handful. Usually, the more you want to be in the zone, the less likely you are to reach it. So, it isn't really something that you consciously enter." He then proceeded to explain how under normal circumstances, people could not use 100% of their body and how zone helped them to do just that.

The statement was followed by a nod from Satsuki. "Yes, but as you can see, Dai-chan doesn't play by the rules, you see," She looked up at the very fascinated Kagami. "His basket sense is insanely strong, so he can slip in and out of it easily."

Once more, the table fell silent, but this time Kagami was the one who broke it by scrunching the burger wrapper and compressing it into a dense ball. "He's really something else," He leaned back on his chair. "Zone, huh? I don't really understand the whole picture, but I get the idea." So there was a completely different area that he had yet to tap. If he couldn't reach it, then there was no way he could stand eye-to-eye against Aomine.

"It's something you understand once you experience it. Among the Generation of Miracles, only Aomine has ever opened the gate to access it," Explained Kuroko. "Because out of all of us, he loved basket the most. I still remember the first time it happened."

"He was having so much trouble against his blocker. It was probably the only time aside from when he was little that I saw him struggling," Satsuki smiled nostalgically. "The next thing everyone knows, he entered the zone. We couldn't believe it. And the smile on his face when we won..."

Hearing that, Kagami groaned loudly. "Aargh, I can't understand that guy! He sounds like such a cool guy back in junior high, but why is he such a jerk now?" The image of Aomine smiling as he zapped past the enemy team, running towards the ring and throwing the ball with his formless shot was enough to make Kagami want to shake Aomine out of whatever was troubling him now.

What was he like back then, Kagami wondered. Would he laugh when he scored? Scrunch his brows when he couldn't break past the guard? How brilliantly did he shine and how much of his talent hadn't been unearthed?

Even Wakamatsu looked like he couldn't believe the story. "He didn't skip practice?"

"Dai-chan was always the first one in and the last one out. Even during his days off, he would always find time to play. If we crack open his head, his skull probably would've been filled with basketball instead of a brain."

"Shit," The platinum blonde drummed his fingers on the table. "I gotta admit, that version of him doesn't sound bad at all. That settles it!" Wakamatsu elbowed Kagami's upper arm. " _You're_ gonna beat him to the fucking ground and deliver _that_ version of Aomine to us."

"Huh, why me!?"

"Because you said _you_ were gonna take the position of power forward, right? And you've already improved so much, even scored against him. None of us had ever done that before, so just go for it, bastard!" He yelled perhaps a bit too loudly. Everyone looked stunned at Wakamatsu's excitement, and the silence was only broken thanks to Kagami's phone.

It was a message from Aomine that read: _'im outside your apartment where r u'_.

"Okay, who gave that asshole my address?" To which Satsuki let out a not-so-innocent 'tee-hee'. Huffing a groan of frustration, he pocketed his phone and got to his feet. "I'm leaving now. See you guys at school!"

It surprised Kagami that even after that intense match, he still had the energy to run all the way back home. The trip was around fifteen minutes from Maji, and soon enough, he reached his apartment, breathing slightly heavy.

Sure enough, Aomine was there sitting on the stairs leading up to the entrance of his residence.

"What took you so long, overgrown snail?"

A vein popped. "Hey, you were the one who came here without warning! I should've just let you wait here for hours instead of rushing. God," Kagami stomped his way up as he grabbed his keys and begun unlocking the door. "What do you wa—oi, what the hell?" The redhead's face turned bright red when a pair of strong arms wrapped around his waist and a hard chest pressed against his back.

"Let's fuck."

To which Kagami sighed and kicked the door open. They hadn't done anything sexual in a couple of weeks now, mostly because Aomine had been avoiding him for whatever reason. Looked like it was finally time to do something beyond a blowjob, and Kagami was definitely down. Especially when he was still high on adrenaline.

"'Kay." He replied shortly despite the want that already started to swell.

The moment the door was closed, Aomine slammed Kagami against the wall. They hadn't even moved past the genkan. Kagami would complain, but everything died down when the dark-skinned male nibbled on his earlobe and breathed hot air into it.

It was clear that Aomine had no intention to kiss, but that was a good thing for the redhead. They were nothing but friends with benefits. Sex was one thing, but a kiss was a whole another story. It was far too intimate for two people who could hardly stand each other when they weren't naked.

As Aomine's tongue moved down to his neck and began sucking on his skin, Kagami shrugged off his hoodie and let it drop on the floor. The taller male was the first to pull his partner and dragged him towards the lone couch on the living room where he pushed Kagami down and straddled him.

God fucking damn, it was a beautiful sight.

Aomine wasted no time in stripping. After ruffling his jacket pocket to retrieve a bottle of lube and condom, he threw it on the floor. His black tank top went next, and Kagami was greeted with a sight for sore eyes. Aomine's body was to die for. There were muscles on all the right spots. The way his chest heaved up and down in desire and how those dusky nipples peaked made Kagami dart his tongue across his lips. He wanted to _feast._

Their cock grew and began tenting, constantly brushing as the two stripped themselves.

By the look of it, Aomine was no less impressed by Kagami's body. He traced a finger down the redhead's pecs and down to his abs, eyes clouded with want as he rolled his hips, making the other buck into him.

Kagami absolutely hated being looked down on by this bastard, but right now, the way Aomine's head stood tall and his pupils staring right down at him... well, it did _things_ to Kagami. Obscene, filthy things.

In his life, he'd made a lot of mistakes. But taking up Aomine's offer to be sex buddies was definitely the right one.

The pants were next to go, but Aomine wasn't patient enough to pull them all the way down. Instead, he started rubbing their thickness together. This position was godsent. Aomine wasn't light by all means, but Kagami didn't care. Instead, his hand joined the taller's as they jerked off together.

Kagami was surprised to see instead of preparing him, Aomine was the one fingering himself open.

His voice was raspy. With wide eyes, he asked. "You're bottoming?" 

"Dunno what you're talking about. I'm the one on top here, aren't I?" The confident, cocky grin sent all Kagami's blood right into his dick. Aomine must've felt the way his partner's cock throb in their hands because his smirk only grew wider. "Mm, so little Tiger loves to be dominated." He said as he continued fucking himself with his fingers, one hand reaching for the lube and condom that he threw on Kagami's abs.

Wordlessly, the very confused top grabbed the latter and ripped the packaging. While he watched the way Aomine's eyes kept drilling into him, a smirk permanently plastered on his face despite how quickly his three fingers went in and out of his ass, Kagami put on the condom and smeared it with a generous amount of lube.

The moment all necessary preparation had been completed, Aomine impaled himself on Kagami's cock.

"Fuck!" The redhead threw his head back when Aomine's warmth and tightness enveloped his dick whole. That reaction did nothing but make the blunette's cockiness swelled. It hurt when he took it all in, but like hell he was going to let it show.

Once he felt more comfortable, he started moving. He was still seated upright and both hands curling around Kagami's thighs behind him. Aomine lifted himself up then lowered himself down repeatedly. It was slow at first, but gradually, it became faster and faster until his muscular ass slapped against Kagami's thighs. The noise made Kagami delirious. It was clear that this guy didn't take things up there often, considering the tightness.

 _I'm the one topping, but I feel like I'm bottoming. What the fuck._ The redhead cursed himself, but soon, he stopped caring. Aomine felt way too good around his dick like that for him to really care about pride.

Kagami put his hands on Aomine's waist and gripped hard on it. The man was built slimmer than he was, yet his muscles were almost twice as hard.

Muffled moans from both men filled the room. The entire time, their eyes didn't move away from each other. It was like the first person to look away lost, and neither male wanted to lose. Brown and blue battled it out in their little contest, accompanied by shocks of pleasure coursing through their bodies that inched them closer towards their release.

When he felt Aomine's nails digging into his thighs, he knew the other was close. So they picked up the pace once more, cranking it up to eleven. 

"Shit," The curse slipped out of Aomine's mouth. "Fuck. Coming."

"Me too." Grunted Kagami between his groans.

As Aomine clenched hard around him, back arched and chest puffed, he milked the male situated on the bottom. The string of cum sprayed all over Kagami's chest, painting the tanned skin translucent white, all while the redhead uttered curse after curse as he filled the condom to the brim with his own juice.

Their breaths were jagged after that, but Aomine was quick to lift himself up and wordlessly walked into the bathroom to clean himself up while Kagami took his time. He lied there on the couch, satisfied, a tied condom lying on the coffee table.

With a deep breath, he grunted himself into a sitting position. Just when he was about to grab a tissue, he saw a piece of paper on the floor near Aomine's jacket. He was feeling particularly snoopy, so he took it.

"Fujikawa... Yuki. Psychologist and counsellor."

Before he could read any further, the bathroom door was pushed open and Kagami immediately hid the paper behind him.

"I used your towel." He said, waving the freshly laundered fabric as he walked towards his clothes to pick them up one by one.

"Uh, yeah. Sure. I'm gonna go have a shower."

The bastard made himself right at home as shown by how he opened the fridge to grab an apple. "What's for dinner?"

"Go make your own, stupid. I'm not your girlfriend," He rolled his eyes. After grabbing a new towel and clothes from the bedroom, Aomine was already lounging on the couch, the TV on and he was happily munching on the red fruit. "You have no fucking shame."

"Don't need one." The dark-skinned male shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring the barrage of curses thrown his way that soon died down when Kagami slammed the bathroom door shut.

When he was finally alone again, he took one more look at the paper. It was crumpled like no one's business, but Kagami recognised the neat handwriting as Satsuki's. 

Fujikawa Yuki. Psychologist and counsellor. Phone number. Address. Twenty years of experience in treating those with...

"Depression." The word weighed heavily on Kagami. He could feel his stomach suddenly dropping as he read the last sentence over and over.

Aomine... _That_ Aomine was suffering from depression? The annoying, infuriating, cocky and self-assured dickhead had...?

"What the hell..." Kagami scrunched the paper in his hand, adding to the crumple mark that was already bad enough. 

No matter what an asshole Aomine was, the thought of him suffering alone dried up Kagami's throat (since knowing him, he was probably too proud to admit he had weaknesses). The situation seemed a thousand times more complicated than he could have ever imagined.

Just when he thought he was starting to understand Aomine, no matter how little, there was a whole another layer he had yet to see.


	4. The Beginning of Something

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally we're getting somewhere!
> 
> I've got chap 5&6 finished, I'm thinking of posting a chapter weekly instead of every 3 days XD  
> Hope you guys are enjoying this!

That sex with Kagami was just what Aomine needed. With a relaxing stretch that made his bones pop, he finished the apple and chucked it formless-style into the kitchen bin.

He rubbed his sore ass as he kept his eyes fixed on the TV. If there was one thing about Kagami he underestimated, it was his dick size. From there on, he vowed to never bottom for the basketball idiot ever again. It wasn't like he did that often anyway. It was just one of the many things he occupied himself with when he couldn't sleep at night, hence the dildo in his nightstand drawer.

When Kagami came out of the bathroom, he looked awfully uncomfortable. Maybe blowjob was one thing but sex was another? Aomine shrugged. He didn't really care that he was imposing. Not like he could make Kagami dislike him any less.

What Aomine didn't expect was for the other male to wordlessly begin cooking and asking, "Is fried rice okay?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah." He replied, confused. He thought for sure he'd overstayed his welcome and was about to be forcibly ejected from the house. Now that he got the approval to stay, Aomine kinda wanted to leave. Being welcomed wasn't something that he was used to, but he supposed that was what made Kagami, Kagami. The guy could be too accommodating for his own good.

"Why're you all polite now?" The redhead growled when he saw that Aomine no longer lounged on the coach but sitting straight up, hands on his lap.

"...Uhh..." The dark-skinned male looked towards the balcony and stood up while putting his shirt and jacket on. "I think I'm gonna leave. It's getting late."

"Dude, you're trying to piss me off or something? I've already cooked this much," By this much, Kagami meant eight cups of rice and the sight of the big white pile made Aomine let out a 'geh!!'. "Just wait. Won't take long."

"Nah, I think I'm good." Really, being welcomed like this felt so wrong. Almost creepy, even. It had been so long since he last crashed into anyone's place that wasn't Satsuki's, and now he did, he was being treated like a friend. It was too much for him. Aomine practically sprinted towards the entrance, but Kagami grabbed him by the wrist.

"What the fuck's up with you? I'm telling you it's okay to stay, asshat!"

"And I'm telling you I'm leaving, Bakagami! You're being creepy, leave me alone!"

"Stay for dinner, Ahomine! You're just gonna go home and eat instant noodles, that's not good for you!"

"Why the fuck are you acting like my friend!?"

That statement made Kagami freeze. Then the realisation hit him that yes, he was treating Aomine like a troublesome friend instead of a sex buddy that he hated off the bed, but that was because he genuinely wanted to help this disturbed basketball genius. Kagami knew that deep down, Aomine was a nice guy whose rudeness was just the byproduct of the darkness in his head.

"Stop it," Aomine took that opportunity to snatch his hand away, eyes distant as he closed off his heart. "I'm not your friend. Stop pretending like we don't hate each other."

Before Kagami could react, the front door was cracked shut.

He stood there for a good few seconds just staring at the space that Aomine occupied moments ago. "You're really an asshole, you know that?" The redhead clenched his teeth together, nails digging into his palm. "You just can't help but make _everyone_ hate you."

Kagami slammed his fist against the wall in frustration, anger, whatever it was that he felt bubbling inside of him.

"But if you put it like that, it just makes me want to get you to admit that I'm your friend, dammit."

After all, there was no challenge that Kagami would back out from. The higher the hurdle, the more invigorating it was and the more satisfying it would be to conquer it. Call him petty. He didn't care.

He was going to reach out to Aomine whether that dimwit liked it or not.

.

Aomine couldn't believe he really said that.

The frozen look on Kagami's face only meant that to him, _they_ were more than two people who couldn't stand each other's guts. There was an intense pain that flashed across the redhead's face, even recalling it clenched Aomine's stomach.

And to begin with, Aomine never hated Kagami. He _liked_ Kagami.

However, it was just so much easier to push people away instead of letting them in. He might have put the measly few pieces of himself in Kagami's hands after that match, but it didn't mean he was ready to throw himself into his perhaps, future rival's arms.

For the past year or so, he shut himself out. His mood became like a volatile nuclear plant and his friends left him. For one whole year, Satsuki was the only one who had yet to give up on him. Now that another helping hand tried to reach out to him, he became overwhelmed, overthought everything and quickly slapped it away.

Even though Kagami genuinely wanted to build a bridge, laying the brick one by one, all Aomine was doing was take it apart. Just when he thought he couldn't stoop any lower, he did.

He quickly rummaged through his pocket, but the piece of paper was nowhere to be found. It was then he realised he must've dropped it at Kagami's place, but like hell he'd come back after what he pulled.

"I fucked up," Aomine laughed pitifully at himself. "Fucked up big time." But honestly,

What else is new?

.

Satsuki had just finished writing up a new training regiment for the coming week for the regulars. With a smile, she put her pen aside and put the stack of paper aside in a stack. 

She stretched her limbs and immediately rolled onto the bed.

Interhigh was just around the corner. Remembering that, she rolled onto her chest and giddily thought about seeing her precious Kuroko in action. Looked like he settled in just fine with his Seirin teammates, and she could only hope everyone had improved so Kuroko could make them shine.

Seirin was a rival school she wanted to defeat, but she still wanted to see her crush do well. However, there was something missing from that team. Everyone had solid plays, but there was no 'oomph' that swept her off her feet.

"Where's Kiyoshi?" Her mind immediately wandered to the tall male that was supposed to be there. An uncrowned king for Kuroko—a light for his shadow. Maybe that was what Seirin was missing.

Well, even with Kiyoshi in the picture, she doubted anyone was ready for Kagami. He had improved tremendously since their last practice game, even scoring against Aomine.

Thinking back to the baffled expression on her childhood friend's face made her smile. She was not disappointed by Kagami in the slightest. She knew the guy had potential, but to see it blooming at an alarming rate like this gave her hope. With a bit more time, he would shine, then Touou would truly be unstoppable.

And most importantly, it would bring her Dai-chan back.

"Aaah!" She hit her pillow in frustration. It all looked fine and dandy on paper, but the lack of badmouthing and argument from the pair lately made her restless. It was like they were actively avoiding each other. And she thought they were doing so well too...

It happened the day after their one-on-one. The next thing she knew, they refused to look at each other. Something must've happened between those two stubborn fools but it wasn't her place to meddle. Their relationship was hung by a string as it was and she didn't want to do anything reckless.

She'd just wait it out for now.

.

The gym was bustling with energy that day. First strings and non-starters alike filled the space with chitchat and excitement over a piece of paper that was pasted on the pinboard. A few people tried to look through each other's shoulders in an attempt to get a headstart over others, but the taller ones had an advantage over the rest.

That was the state of things when their ace entered. Imayoshi and Susa were already deep in a discussion that they didn't notice Aomine until Satsuki started yelling at him to stop lazing around. The manager dragged his childhood friend towards the rest of the first string who were already warmed up, but Aomine was still in his suit uniform.

"I'm not needed in this talky shit. You can discuss strategies all you want, but I'll crush everyone either way, with or without plan." The dark-skinned male poked into his ear with his eyes rolling away.

Imayoshi only stood there with an amused smile as if saying 'just let him go' while Sakurai apologised as usual at Wakamatsu who already rolled his sleeves, looking ready to pummel Aomine into submission.

Kagami didn't even know what to do. He said that he'd make Aomine admit that they were friends, but he was the worst when it came to communication, he ended up not looking or talking to Aomine for two weeks already. The atmosphere between them was so dense, you could cut it with a knife, and the whole damn classroom understood this. Especially the basketball team.

No shouting matches, no rough play, no one-on-one request. Heck, they even refused to look at each other.

And Aomine preferred it this way. To be honest, he was a little hurt the first few days Kagami didn't start a fight with him. It was lonely because he didn't know when exactly he had become accustomed to their everyday bickering. It was the only thing at school worth being awake for.

_Whatever. I don't need him anyway._

The only thing Kagami was good for was as a rival if he ever reached his peak. They didn't need to be buddy-buddy. School friends never valued to much. Once graduation hit, it would be as if they never crossed paths.

So this was okay.

"Why am I here?" Aomine asked coldly when he saw the Touou jersey in Kagami's hand. It was hard to make out the number from there, especially when it was crumpled in the redhead's hand, but Aomine could make out a big '10' printed on it. "You're gonna tell me I'm not needed anymore 'cause you've got yourself a shiny new ace? If that's the case, then have fun losing." He said as detachedly as he could before turning around to leave.

"Dai-chan," Satsuki put both her arms around her friend's waist, then pressed her forehead against his muscular back. "No, that's not it!"

If it was anyone else, Kagami was convinced that Aomine would've shoved them away and cursed at them before leaving. However, this was Satsuki. She was the person Aomine loved the most over everyone else.

Frankly, Kagami was envious of their relationship. Aomine valued Satsuki enough to never want to make her cry and he'd do anything to not hurt her. As little as it might be, it gave Kagami evidence that the gentle Aomine that Kuroko and Satsuki had been talking about was still in there, somewhere.

"Bastard..." The only reason why Wakamatsu hadn't charged in there was because Susa was holding the back of his shirt. "First you treat us like shit, now you're gonna run away!?"

"I'm not running away," Aomine turned around, easing Satsuki's grip in the process. His brows scrunched together as he stared daggers into Wakamatsu. "Weaklings should keep their mouths shut and grovel."

"What—"

A blur of red whipped past everyone, and suddenly a loud crack echoed.

"Weakling this, weakling that," Kagami's fist shook as he looked down at the surprised Aomine who fell after the impact. "Shut the fuck up!" Taking advantage of the surprised look on the other's face, Kagami lowered himself to Aomine's level in light speed and grabbed him by the collar. "No one's replacing you, _idiot_. You're insufferable, stupid, annoying, insufferable—"

"You said insufferable twice." Was Imayoshi's only comment.

"—but no one can replace you, idiot! I thought you're supposed to be cocky, so why the hell are you self-conscious now!? It's seriously annoying. Make up your mind. Are you cocky or a nervous wreck? Do you wanna play or not? Do you like basket or not? Are you a nice guy or not? Stop being so fucking hard to understand!

So what if I get a jersey? That doesn't mean you're automatically booted out of the team. If you've got that little drive that you cry after I earn my place, then leave. We don't need someone who half-asses things like you."

...

Silence fell in the gym. Not a single person even moved. Maybe not even breathe.

Suddenly, an amused chuckle cut through the quiet. Putting a hand on Kagami's wrist, Aomine smirked at him. "Look at you, being a goody two shoes. No wonder everyone likes you." Pushing the other away, he stood up and rubbed the blood from the corner of his lips with his suit jacket.

Aomine loved Satsuki, but no amount of nagging could ever change his mind. However, that punch and loud, unabashed bellow were exactly what he needed. Coming from anyone else, it would've been the reason why he wouldn't be joining interhigh due to suspension, but the one who just slapped some sense into him wasn't just 'anyone else'.

Kagami was a fool with a basketball as a brain. He wasn't an untalented, unmotivated person and Aomine witnessed that with his own two eyes. How hard he worked, how nothing deterred him, and most importantly, how his efforts paid off. In a way, the redhead reminded him an awful lot of himself back when he used to play basketball. In Kagami's shoes, he, too, would do the same thing to himself.

_Thanks, Kagami._

"I'm not going anywhere," Putting his hands on his waist, he used his excess two centimetres to look down on Kagami. "Like hell I'm losing to a little tiger cub. I'm gonna have to put you in your place."

For the first time, Kagami saw the fire in Aomine's eyes. It was faint, but it was there—burning, getting ready to set the entire place ablaze. With a grin, he stood up and put out his fist. "Bring it on."

Instead of returning the fistbump, Aomine scoffed in the most condescending manner possible and turned around, then walked out of the gym, leaving Kagami hanging for the second time after their one-on-one.

"ASSHOLE!!! COME BACK HERE!!!"

.

The rest of the practice was somewhat tense. So much so that Sakurai looked like he was ready to die after it finished. The brunette collapsed on the floor near his locker in the corner and sighed in relief. Beads of sweat that wasn't only exhaustion rolled down his forehead as Susa approached him.

"That was a session, all right. You all good?" Offering a hand to the smaller male, he lifted him up.

"Sorry, yeah, I'm... fine, sorry!" Replied the brunette, still jittery. "I, uh, aren't we going to do anything with them?"

"There's nothing we can do, really. They said they're oil and water, but I think they're oil and fire," Imayoshi said as he took off his practice clothes and put his uniform and sprayed some deodorant. At the questioning look, the captain chuckled. "They don't only react violently, but they also fire each other up and extremely dangerous when mixed together."

"But we probably should do something if Kagami punches Aomine for the third time—"

"Let him. It's satisfying." Wakamatsu had a huge, happy grin on his face at the memory of his friend's fist slamming onto that lazyass. It took guts to punch Aomine like that, and it took respect for Aomine to not hit back.

Wait. Respect?

"—we should at least report it to the coach."

In response, Imayoshi waved Susa's statement off. "It won't escalate. Aomine respects Kagami too much to want to ruin what fragile thing they have." The captain said, confirming Wakamatsu's very strange theory.

"Ah," Sakurai widened his eyes in realisation. "Was it the one-on-one?"

Adjusting his glasses, Imayoshi shrugged. "No, I think Aomine already liked him enough to not send him to his funeral, the first time Kagami hit him. Something must've happened before they met in the gym."

"Captain, are you serious? Aomine, liking someone?"

"Well, he would've hit back if he didn't like Kagami at least a bit..."

"Point taken." Wakamatsu shook his head. He could still feel Aomine's knee on his stomach.

"Besides, don't you think this is an interesting development?" Imayoshi continued, taking everyone's attention. "Interhigh is upon us and Kagami would finally join an official match. If he performs well, I can see Coach seriously considering the possibility of using him more often. We don't really need it, but it'd be nice to have some edge against other teams with a member of the Miracles among them."

Wakamatsu slapped his fist against his palm. "Ah! And Aomine's gonna get booted off—"

"Now, now. Don't be so eager to write him off. There is no way Coach is gonna allow that. What I'm saying is, them, at the same court together." The dark-haired male laughed.

"Hm... I guess that's a possibility—wait!" The platinum blond stammered in realisation. "If they're both playing together, that means one of them's gonna be a centre and—"

"Bye bye, Wakamatsu." Almost half the students in the locker room immediately said.

"No way, I'll get replaced when I'm _dead._ " Protested the tall male as he grabbed his jacket and sprinted outside, probably to practice immediately so his position wouldn't get jeopardised.

"Well, that's one way to get someone excited."

"You have such a bad personality, Imayoshi," Susa tapped the other on the shoulder while shaking his head. "But I really can't wait for interhigh. I have a feeling it will be a very interesting one. First, we've got a panther from Touou, now we've got a tiger from America?"

The eerie smirk on the captain's face remained. "If we play our cards right, then we'll easily be the best team in the whole damn Japan."

Sakurai who had been a quiet listener approached the two left in the locker room. "A-are you... planning on making them reconcile, then, Captain?" The moment Imayoshi turned towards him, the brunette jumped. "Sorry! Sorry!"

"Nope," He wagged his finger. "The moment they stop fighting, that means it's all over. What Aomine needs right now is someone who can stand up to him and has the skill to back it up. Wakamatsu might tick one of the boxes, but Aomine considers him all bark no bite," He paused. "Don't tell him I said that."

"So, I guess we're leaving them alone for now?" Susa's eyes gleamed in fascination.

"Yeah," The captain nodded, then laughed. "Until they try to stab each other, that is."

.

It was a pretty nice night. The moon was high, neighbours stopped having sex and blasting rock music, and the weather was warm enough to not use a blanket.

No matter what nice of a day it was, it was still the day before a match, and the day before a match and Kagami was not a good match. He could never sleep for whatever reason, be it the nerve or the excitement or maybe a combination of both. It was already late 11 PM when he received a reply from Kuroko.

 _'We're up against Shinkyou Academy. They have a transfer student who's 2 metres tall.'_ Kuroko said in a text message. _'If we both win our block, we'll face each other in the first match._

_'Good luck playing against Shuutoku. Your old friend is there, right? That crazy three pointer guy.'_

_'Midorima-kun. He is strong, but we have a strategy. Anyway, you should sleep, Kagami-kun. Good night.'_

_'Good night, Kuroko. I'll watch your match if I can.'_

With a sigh, Kagami threw his phone on the nightstand and sprawled on the bed. The light was off, the curtain closed and moonlight calmly shining through the partition, but he wasn't sleepy at all. "Urgh." He groaned before stuffing his face in the pillow. Their first opponent was some school called Kyoritsu, a team that Satsuki claimed wasn't a threat at all.

That assurance didn't help, though. Kagami still couldn't sleep. Maybe he should make some snacks to help him get tired.

Just when he was about to stand up, his phone vibrated. It was a long one, which meant a call and not a text.

 _Assholemine_ it said.

Kagami rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Aomine called him? Not text, but call? Was he that horny he was about to ask for phone sex? But they hadn''t had sex ever since that day. Wait, maybe that was why. Maybe Aomine was nervous too and—

_Fuck, why am I overthinking?_

"What's up?" Kagami muttered, voice a bit choked because of how confused he was.

There was a short pause that made him think that the other had hung up. _"You home?"_

"Where else would I be?"

 _"Then open the door."_ He replied quickly like he was afraid the words wouldn't come out if he waited for a second longer.

"Huh!?" The redhead paced towards the genkan and looked through the peephole to see a very grumpy blunette with a phone stuck to his ear, looking like he was about to knock the door down with his entire 87 kg.

"So _slow_!" He yelled into the phone and Kagami's ear when the door was opened, leading the homeowner to put a hand over Aomine's mouth and dragged him inside.

"Stop screaming, it's almost midnight, Ahomine! If I get kicked out of here, it's your fault," He let go the moment they reached the living room. "So, what do you want?"

Aomine gazed at the floor, bottom lips stuck forward in a pout and a trace of red could be seen even through his dark skin. "C'me s'm ...ood."

"What?" Kagami leaned forward, legitimately couldn't hear what his teammate mumbled.

"I said cook me some food, Bakagami!"

"Alright, alright, no need to yell in my ear, asshole!" He shoved the other male into the dining room before walking into the kitchen and putting his apron on. "I was already going to make something before you walked in, so don't think this is a special service."

The dark-haired male muttered a 'whatever' as he hopped onto the couch and pressed his knees against his chest like a guarded cat.

Kagami opened the stocked fridge and grabbed some ingredients to make yakisoba. Noodles, cabbage, green onion, carrots and eggs. He was wrong to think Aomine would behave, though. Because halfway through the prep, the bastard already went into his room and rummaged through every single shelf.

"Where's your porn?" He stuck his head out.

"No one invited you into my room and no, I don't have any porn! Get out of there!" He pointed the knife right at Aomine who remained unfazed.

"What am I supposed to read, then?"

"I don't know, maybe a magazine like a normal human being and not like horny on legs?" He rolled his eyes while he julienned the carrots.

"Woah, you got a PS4. Got Tekken? Hey, there it is!" He was already looking below the TV stand and pulling out the console that had yet to be plugged. The blunette was quick to put it together and turn it on like Kagami was his childhood friend whose house he invaded everyday.

Honestly, Kagami was too tired to deal with Aomine's shit, so he just let the guy do whatever he wanted. He just dumped six servings of noodles into the pan and mixed it with homemade yakisoba sauce when the screaming noise from the TV suddenly stopped and Aomine was sitting on the dining table, both hands in his pocket and glaring daggers at Kagami.

He wanted to turn around and ask 'what do you want' but decided against it. If he didn't start a conversation, then they wouldn't fight, right? It was late and some of his neighbours deserve peace and quiet. Besides, Kagami didn't want to argue right now. Or anymore, if that was possible.

_Gotta be his friend... gotta be his friend... Patience, Taiga._

He soon realised that the one thing Aomine hated aside from staying awake was being ignored because he kept fidgeting on the seat. Eventually, he started opening the fridge and peeking behind Kagami's shoulder to see the food, then eating the eggs he set aside for later.

"You!" Kagami finally snapped. "Sit your ass down before I handcuff you on the sink pipe!"

"Is this how you treat your guests? You're a terrible host." The blunette scoffed but surprisingly enough, he went back to sit on the dining table, hunched and his chin resting on the wooden surface.

Silence overtook the room once more and in that time Aomine was quiet, he finished cooking. Kagami dumped a third of the portion on Aomine's plate and the rest, on his. The dark-skinned male looked baffled to get such a huge portion.

"You're feeding a family of six? Who the fuck eats this much?"

"Shut up and eat or I'll gladly have them all." At the threat, Aomine used the prepared chopsticks to shove some noodles in his mouth.

He didn't say anything, but Kagami could see the sparkle in his eyes. The way he began eating faster and faster only meant it tasted good, and if there was anything Kagami loved seeing, it was people enjoying the food he made.

Well, this was an improvement, he supposed. Aomine actually stayed for food instead of running away. Maybe the guy actually felt guilty?

Swallowing his own noodles, Kagami watched the other male quickly going through his portion, and he couldn't help a smile. Aomine really reminded him of a cat. Give him pats and he'd pull away. Ignore him and he'd come to you.

It was troublesome, but he had to admit that after their fight, he understood Aomine a lot better.

"Uhm," He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry. For hitting you. My temper isn't known to be the mildest."

Aomine chewed his food and swallowed, then put the chopsticks on the side of his plate. "You're apologising. That's so creepy."

"Fuck off! I'm trying to calm the tension here."

"There's no tension," The taller one shrugged, his voice mumbled and had it not been for the quiet of the night, Kagami wouldn't have heard it. "Not your fault an'way. Though you didn't have to hit me that hard. I thought my teeth were gonna come off."

"Holy shit," The redhead gaped at the roundabout attempt at apologising. "You're right, it _is_ creepy."

"I'm never talking to you ever again."

"Kidding!" Kagami let out the first genuine laugh directed only to Aomine. If anyone told him last month that there would be a time where he'd sit with this bastard without screaming on top of their lungs while trying to strangle each other, he would've scoffed.

But there was something nice about Aomine when he wasn't actively trying to be an asshole. This Aomine was much more passive and quiet, and Kagami would even say, cute. Because the way he sat there with a little pout in his mouth, lips glistening with yakisoba sauce was simply a different image to the Aomine at school.

"Why did you come here, Aho?"

"Don't call me that, Baka. Just happened to pass by and since I... well, since I didn't get to eat your food last time, thought I'll get some today."

Kagami then inspected Aomine and noted that he was wearing a black shirt under his jacket and shorts. He even brought a water bottle and small towel.

"Did you go for a run?" He cocked his eyebrows, then remembered Satsuki's remark about the other not being able to sleep. That made his gaze soften, and his lips formed a small smile. The silence only confirmed the question.

"Gotta keep fit somehow. Would be a shame if this steaming hot body goes to waste," He smirked wolfishly and that did things to Kagami who wanted to jump on Aomine right there. "What else are you gonna drool over otherwise?" The arrogant fucker had the audacity to lean back on his chair and tread his blue locks with his fingers while looking down on Kagami. His jacket fell slightly to one side to reveal his clear-printed collarbones and tantalising chocolate skin. "Mmhm, just like that."

"S-shut up," The redhead immediately turned around when he noticed how much he was staring. However, he was certain that the attraction went both ways. If he was suaver, then he would've teased too, but coming from him, it'd look clumsy and he'd make a fool out of himself. "You came here to fuck?"

He snorted, but ultimately shook his head, much to Kagami's surprise. "Nah. I've already jacked off before."

So that meant this guy was here because he just wanted to be here, wasn't he? Maybe this operation befriend Aomine wasn't going to be an impossible one, after all.

Aomine stood up all of a sudden and began stretching his limbs. "I'm gonna sleep here tonight. You can take the sofa."

"Dude, what the fuck. You're not taking my bed."

Aomine grabbed some dry, folded laundry on the sofa that Kagami hadn't put back in the dresser yet and waved it around. "I'll be wearing this."

"That's it!" The redhead ran towards the blunette who was quick to dodge the incoming tackle with a mischievous chuckle and retreated into the bathroom, then locked the door. "Aomine, you absolute ass! Stop acting like you own the damn place!"

.

He would rather die than admit it, but being with Kagami was kinda fun.

Fun, huh?

He had forgotten what that felt like the moment he fell out of love with basketball. It had been so long since he last met someone like Kagami. He was so resilient, bright and all-around larger than life. He arrived in Aomine's life with a bang with his flaming hair, searing hot hazel eyes and the body to back it up.

Aomine didn't make it a habit to fuck men (or be fucked by one), but Kagami was an exception. To this day, he didn't regret his decision.

After he turned off the tap and dried himself off, he smiled into the towel. 

Nothing much had changed. He still felt lonely—his crown sliding off his head as he sat atop the throne, waiting, waiting and waiting. He had been there for what felt like forever for his sixteen years old self.

But Kagami had made his statement that day at the court when he scored using his ridiculous jumping power and endurance. The bastard kept up with him even if he was in the zone, and not once did his light flicker.

Kagami would never understand how much that meant to Aomine. Because for once, when he looked into someone's eyes, he wasn't met with fear and contempt, but awe. Like he wasn't a monster, but just a really tall hurdle that the redhead wanted to overcome.

Even just for a moment, Kagami made him feel warm again. It was a fleeting one among his darkness, just a small glimmer of a star across the empty night sky that could be swallowed up at any time, but it was one more than he could have hoped for.

When he walked out of the bathroom, Kagami wasn't in the kitchen anymore. He noted that all the dishes had been washed, dried and the light dimmed. The bedroom door was still open, though. So, he walked in to see Kagami lying on the bed, still wide awake.

"What, you can't sleep? Move over."

"Dude, sleep on the couch. I'm not sharing my space." The stubborn fool refused to budge. Instead, he sprawled his arms wider.

If it was any earlier than this, he would've argued a lot more, maybe force himself next to Kagami no matter how much the guy objected, but the quiet of the night never failed to make him softer—feel more vulnerable like he was just a kid again. 

And besides, nothing he did today would've changed the fact that Kagami didn't like him. After all, he hadn't done anything remotely nice to this guy. It was a miracle that he didn't get kicked out sooner.

"Fine, you dickhead." He kicked the leg of the bed and walked away. Almost immediately, he heard a rustle from behind him.

"Wait, you're really leaving just like that? Who are you and what have you done to Ahomine?" Was Kagami's very confused reaction.

"Oh, that's it!" The blunette stomped his way back to the redhead and shoved Kagami towards the corner of the bed. "You just wanna pick a fight with me, huh!?"

"Huh!? I never said that!" Was the equally violent reaction.

"Then I'm gonna sleep here whether you like it or not!"

"How childish can you be!?"

The two ended up wrestling on the bed for what felt like forever before they finally settled, back pressed against each other. Both of them were not small men, so the space was used up that much easier.

.

At some point during the night, Kagami fell asleep. It wasn't a deep one, but a shut-eye nonetheless. Aomine tired him out so much with their stupid bickering that his body finally decided to let him rest.

His right shoulder began to cramp, so he shifted over to the other side to face Aomine's back. The first thing he saw was the short blue hair that smelt like his shampoo. Blue. It was an interesting colour. He'd never seen anyone with that natural shade before. And now he looked at it more closely, he had this intense urge to ruffle it.

With sleepiness still coursing through him, he let his fingers run through it.

Aomine visibly flinched his shoulder, but Kagami's brain was clouded with drowsiness that his first reaction wasn't to take his hand away, but to ask, "You still awake?"

_Fuck, his hair is so soft. What the hell._

"Go to sleep. We have a game tomorrow..." With a yawn, Kagami continued stroking Aomine's hair like he was an overgrown cat, then fell back asleep.

When he woke up in the morning to his alarm, Aomine was nowhere to be found.


	5. Betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My god I'm writing like it's no one's business. I'm up to chapter 8 now and it's getting sappier LMAO
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I have a lot planned going forward. I even made a playlist to motivate me :D
> 
> Also I'm totally shuffling the match orders. I don't think Touou even played Yosen during interhigh, but whatever! LOL
> 
> Thanks for leaving comments and kudos <3

The first day of interhigh was finally here.

Many teams scattered around the arena to warm up, do their last-minute strategy meeting, and some scouted their opponents for this round. The energy was at an all-time high, especially with the audiences trying to take selfies with the popular starters like a certain tuft of blond hair that Kagami could hardly see because the guy was drowning in girls. That must be Kise.

"Kagami-kun, good luck today!" A few girls giggled as the redhead walked past. With a frown, he nodded. He wasn't really sure what was going on until Satsuki lunged towards him and grabbed his arm. The upper part of it nestled right between her supple boobs and Kagami yelped.

"Morning, Kagamin! You're awfully popular, aren't you?" After the giggle faded away, an elbow rested on his shoulder.

"Ready, our heartbreaker of an ace?" Wakamatsu stood there, grinning. Behind them stood Imayoshi, Susa, Sakurai and the others.

Touou was imposing with their black and red, and Kagami felt like Moses, the way the team parted the crowd. Imayoshi had his cunning smile, Wakamatsu's grin turned into a scowl because he didn't see Aomine anywhere and Sakurai looked like he just wanted to keep hiding behind Susa who had an expression of indifference.

"Good luck, Kagami-kun."

The redhead yelled and jumped in surprise when he saw a boy with baby blue hair appearing out of nowhere with the rest of his team. There was also someone standing with them that he didn't recall seeing during the practice match.

"Tetsu-kuuun!" Satsuki practically jumped at the poor thing and started suffocating him with her tits, but Kuroko's expression didn't even change.

"You must be Kagami," The new face smiled, offering a hand that Kagami took. "I'm Kiyoshi Teppei. Kuroko told me about you."

He didn't sense the intense look the rest of Touou gave Kiyoshi as he nodded. "Uh, yeah. Kagami Taiga. You weren't in the practice match."

"No, I'm recovering from my injuries still, so I'll only be here to watch. Though the doctor said I should be able to join one game for a short while." This guy was practically radiating positivity. Seirin and Touou were like day and night. Sometimes, Kagami wondered if he would've been better off in that team.

They all parted ways soon enough. Kagami caught a glimpse of Rakuzan who had the exact same effect as Touou's entrance. Leading the pack was a short redhead that he remembered to be Akashi. Potentially the most dangerous player, Kuroko said.

"Any word from Aomine?" Satsuki glanced at Kagami who shrugged.

"I thought you'd know." He couldn't possibly be running late, could he?

On second thought, he probably could. Bastard must've run away first thing in the morning so he could escape.

"That guy..." Wakamatsu was quaking with anger. "How dare he be late for such an important game? I swear, one day I'm gonna break his nose." In the background, Sakurai started apologising profusely.

Once he finished changing, he took out his phone and dialled _Assholemine_ , but it went straight to his mailbox. Frowning, Kagami tried again, then again and again with his whole team practically watching him do that. None of them went in, though. With a low growl, he turned to everyone.

"No answer. Dammit, when I see him, I'm going to punch him so hard he faints," Wakamatsu was the only one nodding proudly at Kagami's frustration. "Ughh! Come on, I wanna relieve some anger!" The redhead was the first to walk out the door, followed by Satsuki and Imayoshi who only shrugged, not even worried even a little.

They walked towards the court since it was almost time. On the bench, they saw Coach Harasawa sitting crossed legged. Next to him was...

"What took you so damn long?"

The entire team froze.

Then they _yelled._

"AOMINE!!!"

"What the fuck are you screaming for!?" The blunette who was already in his number 5 jersey, all warmed-up, covered both of his ears and almost ducked out of the way when Kagami made a beeline towards him and practically slapped a palm on his forehead.

"Are you sure you're not sick?" He asked seriously.

"I think you shouldn't play in the first quarter. Have a rest, I hate you but we don't want you fainting." Wakamatsu was the next to speak with a concerned, slightly horrified look on his face.

"Aomine, you're starting," Was Harasawa's first sentence. "Kagami, you can observe for now. I'll let you play some time during the second half."

"Yes sir!" Then he turned towards Aomine with a pair of intense hazel eyes. "You better play seriously."

The blunette took a while to reply with an "Alright." that sounded half resigned and half exasperated, like 'playing seriously' was an impossible task. With a slap on the back, Aomine grumbled and joined his teammates on the court.

Satsuki's eyes twinkled when she noticed Kagami's laser focus even before the game started.

The opposing team really was nothing special. Satsuki had jotted down all the details on her notebook. Not a single player even came close to matching the individual skills of Touou's starters. She was more worried about Kuroko, honestly. Unfortunately, his match wasn't in this stadium, so she couldn't take a peek even if she wanted to.

One thing that Kagami noticed was that Aomine looked amazing in the Touou jersey. Like, so infuriatingly good. Black and red were truly his colour and Kagami wished that their uniform was neon pink and green instead. Even with that on, Kagami still thought that Aomine would still look like sex on legs. Hell, put him in a tutu and he'd still somehow look good, probably.

Wakamatsu got the first ball during the jump and the game started.

Kagami watched as the ball got passed around from Wakamatsu to Imayoshi, then to Susa and then to Sakurai who scored using one of his awesome three-pointers. Aomine was just lightly running like he was warming up, especially the way he cracked his shoulders and neck as he moved.

It took about one whole minute and a half before Aomine finally got in the groove. The score was 7-4 at that point and the opposing team had the ball. They were about to shoot when suddenly, the ball was no longer there.

Aomine dashed past every single person on his way, constantly zigzagging and dribbling under his legs like he was showing off. When he was close to the goal, he jumped, passed the ball from his left to the right from under his leg hand mid-flight and dunked it. The moment he landed, he turned around with a smug smirk and while cracking his fingers. His eyes shot past everyone on the court and right at Kagami. He even raised his eyebrows for a split second.

_Like what you see?_

"Fuck yeah I do." Kagami mouthed while chuckling nervously. That was an amazing opening act and he wanted to see more because he knew for a fact that Aomine was capable of a lot more.

He wasn't let down in the slightest.

When the first quarter ended, Kagami let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

Aomine's basketball was truly stunning. It was the way he handled the ball like it was an extension of himself, like dribbling was as natural as breathing and reading people's movements was something he could do with his eyes closed. It was the way his body moved across the court like a silent yet deadly lightning, the precision of an arrowhead, yet with the weightlessness of streaming water. It was the way he would lazily lean back while shooting like he was about to take a nap, and the cocky smirk he displayed after each and every formless shot that sent people down on their asses.

If Kagami were standing on the court, he would pass the ball to the number 5 too, if it meant he could witness the art that was Aomine's basketball.

"Serious enough for you?" As if knowing that Kagami was practically mentally jerking off to his play, the bastard approached him. "'Cause that was only 50% of what I can do."

"Then go 100%!" Kagami said loudly, making everyone chuckle at his enthusiasm. The redhead's cheeks were so red with excitement that he didn't even notice it himself.

"Really?" Still with an all-knowing smirk, he pointed at the scoreboard with his thumb. Touou was already 30 points ahead.

_Wait, when did that happen._

"I'll get 40 next round so we can go up to 80. When you take over, I want you to bring it up to 120." His voice was challenging, and it made Kagami itchy.

"Fuck you. I'll get it to 150 and make you admit that I'm your rival."

"Yeah? You think you can get as many as I can?" He leaned towards Kagami with both hands on his waist,

"I'll get _more_." Not wanting to back down, he also moved his head forward.

"Nah, you suck. You'll probably get it to 100 tops."

"I'm gonna prove you wrong."

"You can't."

"Can too."

Their foreheads were practically pressing into each other now and the tip of their nose touched. They remained locked in that position of half tension and half sexual tension for what seemed like forever until Satsuki clapped her hands hard and made them both jump, in turn slamming their skulls against each other.

"Fuck!" They yelped loudly, making some audiences laugh at them.

"Alright, boys! It's time to cut that out. Dai-chan, the game is starting again," She shoved her childhood friend towards the court and sat back down next to Kagami. "You two are so cute, you know that?"

"We are _not_!" The redhead denied a bit too quickly and once again focused on the court. As a result, he was unaware of the sly smile on Satsuki's lips.

 _Everything is going smoothly_ , she thought. If this kept up, Aomine was definitely going to become more motivated in his pursuit of basketball. She could even see it right now. Even if just a little, it was a step in the right direction nonetheless. The person whom everyone thought was going to run late actually came first. That was definitely thanks to Kagami, she had no doubt about it.

The more Kagami's talent surfaced, the closer he'd get to Aomine's back. And once he caught up, Aomine would be forced to run once more.

Just thinking about it made Satsuki so giddy with anticipation. As she clutched her notebook in her arms, her legs swung back and forth. She took one glance at Kagami who was watching the court with his mouth slightly agape in awe, then she thought to herself, _you have to evolve faster, Kagamin._

The man in the topic wasn't paying attention at all. His eyes stayed on Aomine and Aomine alone. As he watched the man play like a wild panther, his heart thrummed with joy and excitement. He couldn't wait to rise to the ace's level so he could play a beautiful match with him, one that was so close, no one knew who'd emerge victoriously.

He clenched his fist so hard around his pants that his hands began shaking. This wasn't Aomine at his best, but Kagami was already head over heels for his basketball. Playing against him was one thing, but watching was a whole another book he wanted to read.

"Kagami," Harasawa's voice jolted him back to reality. "Go get warmed up. You're up next."

.

Aomine was glad that his turn was over. Touou was leading by seventy-two points now, and their opponent was starting to crack. Halfway through the second quarter, he could already see their movements slowing down as a sign that they were slowly but surely giving up.

 _Monster_ , they whispered under their breaths.

Another voice.

As Aomine ran past them, darkness swirled in his head.

_Monster. Monster. Monster._

His heart tightened at the insult that was practically a nickname for him. He never asked to be so good at basketball that he'd shit on the others. All he wanted to do was to play, not... not whatever this was.

Muffled in the background, he could hear Imayoshi's indifference, Sakurai's profuse apologising to the opponents, Susa's proud voice, Wakamatsu's loudness. However, Aomine heard none of them. Even if he did, he was too desensitised to compliments of his 'terrifying basketball' that brought everyone to their knees.

It was a trend for him to walk off the court with his heart in pieces. The more he played, the more people called him a monster and dubbed his basketball as 'terrifying'. It was getting difficult to pick up fragments of himself and oftentimes, he wanted to just leave them all behind and never look back.

It was difficult to breathe—he was suffocating, drowning. The court that was once his heaven was now his hell.

He threw himself on the bench and put a towel over him as he sucked on the water bottle to draw out the liquid inside. Everyone knew better than to bother him. Even the ever so naggy Satsuki gave him some space.

Next to him, he heard heavy footsteps that he associated with Kagami. He wanted to turn around and say something snarky, but he couldn't.

He was scared.

What if Kagami gave him a horrified look too? What if Kagami called his basketball 'scary' too?

As a result, Aomine ignored the warm palm over his shoulder. The redhead's muffled _'oi!'_ echoed in his head, but his attempt of not looking at Kagami failed the moment the redhead shook him and forced him to look at those fiery hazel eyes.

And Kagami, he looked at Aomine's blue like he was the most beautiful thing in the world.

"I hate you," He said despite the satisfied grin and the faint flush of awe on his face. "Your basketball is so fucking amazing, it's annoying. But you better watch me, okay? Because I'm going to beat you one day."

Aomine stared at him incredulously for a few seconds, then he looked back at the floor, confused.

"Aomine?" Kagami called out to him gently. "Are you okay?"

In response, he shrugged off the sub-ace's hands and shot up to his feet. "I'm gonna go cool down." He mumbled before jogging away from the court.

The bluehead didn't see how everyone rushed to Kagami's side and saying how lucky he was that he didn't get stabbed ten times by post-game Aomine. The only reason that didn't happen was because of how baffled the number five was.

Kagami didn't look at him like he was a monster. There was no trace of fear in his eyes, only astonishment. Kagami didn't say 'terrifying', but he said 'amazing'.

The run around the area did more than cool him down. It made everything sink in a little more. Kagami wasn't going to flee. Kagami wasn't scared of him.

Aomine stopped near the backdoor of the arena and leaned against the worn wall. He slid down to a sitting position and chuckled deeply. It then evolved into loud, liberating laughter over finding someone he could finally, _maybe_ play with.

Not Kise with his copy. Not Kuroko with his softheartedness. Not Midorima with his cold calculation. Not Murasakibara with his aloofness. Not Akashi with his emperor eye.

It was just Kagami with his burning passion for basketball. His wild, animalistic play that resembled his. His flaming almost-red eyes and his loud voice.

For a moment, that thought convinced Aomine that maybe—just _maybe_ everything was going to be okay. Maybe it was fine to go all-out against Kagami and hasten his evolution. Because he wasn't afraid of Aomine.

Cracking a smile of anticipation, he made his way back towards the gym just in time to hear Kagami's signature battle cry as broke past two guards. Satsuki patted the spot next to her with a soft, understanding smile that Aomine found comfort in. The world around him was always changing, always spinning. But the one thing that was constant was her calming presence.

He loved her more than words could convey.

"Kagamin is doing really well." She hummed.

And that was true enough. In the span of five minutes that he was away, he saw the score had stretched even more. Aomine sat there, hunched as he observed Kagami moving around the court and harmonising with the rest of the team. What he lacked in his individual skill, he made up for it by getting everyone to support him.

Aomine couldn't help but envy him. Once upon a time, he, too, relied on his teammates.

As time ticked on, the blunette became more absorbed in the game. His eyes constantly following Kagami and making notes of his playstyle. He was great—definitely would make it as a Miracle had he been in Japan and trained a lot more. Just like Satsuki said, he was brimming with untapped potential.

Who knew where this guy would be in a few months time? Aomine could hardly wait for his true rival to arrive at last.

Kagami played basketball like it was the most fun thing in the world, and Aomine couldn't help but smile.

.

Touou ended up bagging two decisive victories across both matches that day, as did Seirin and the rest of the teams the Miracles were in. However, as they all went home, Kagami was quiet.

They won, yet he didn't feel like they _won_.

"Hm..." He looked at his palm, then at Wakamatsu. "Wanna do some one-on-one?"

"What!? We just finished the games. No way, I'm exhausted." The platinum blond stretched his muscles.

"Come on, just ten minutes?" The redhead insisted. However, when his friend shook his head, claiming that he wanted to have some rest for tomorrow's matches, Kagami sulked. He turned towards Aomine who immediately looked away. "Aomine..."

"No. I'm gonna go have a nap."

"Come on!" Kagami grabbed the blunette's arm. "There's a court _right there_! Come on, let's play!"

"Get off me! You just played a full game, why're you still rearing to go? Go play with Sakurai or some shit." With a good shove, he ripped his limb away from Kagami's vice grip.

The refusal made the redhead pout. He walked quietly next to Aomine, lips curling into his nose.

It was already evening. Satsuki ended up going off somewhere with Kuroko, and their teammates had gone further and further away due to how slow the pair was walking.

"You're not satisfied with two halves?" The blunette finally asked.

"It's not that... I just don't feel tired, you know?" He scratched his head. "It's like they've given up. It was boring."

With a scoff, Aomine stuffed both his hands in his pockets. "Tell me 'bout it."

Kagami stared at the other male thoughtfully for a moment.

Then it hit him. He was too entranced by Aomine, he just now realised that everyone seemed to be playing more poorly the moment he stepped onto the court. By then, the score difference was far too great, and there seemed to be no fight left in their eyes.

Did seeing Aomine play completely destroyed their self-confidence?

As if trying to confirm or refute his theory (he hoped for the latter), he glanced at the dark-skinned male who had his brows scrunched as usual, but his shoulders sagging.

It was like a gear decided to turn in his head. To this day, he didn't understand why Aomine grew to hate the one thing he used to love so much. But one thing he knew was that, if everyone he played gave up just like that, he would eventually get tired of it too. After all, where was the fun in single-sided fight?

"Hmm... I think I really want to play, after all." Kagami turned towards Aomine with a grin. He couldn't let those kind of thoughts weigh him down when Touou's ace was already upset as it was. After all, Kagami already promised himself that he'd do something to ease Aomine's burdens. It was obvious that this guy was not at a good spot in life. Instead of accusation and talks of the dark past, he needed someone to make him look forward. Or something like that.

Kagami bumped his shoulder against Aomine's, making the other turn to him with a hesitant look.

"So?"

"...Fine," He grumbled. "But just for a bit, okay? Then you have to cook me dinner."

"Woohoo!" The redhead took Aomine by the wrist and pulled him back towards the court they saw earlier. His grin was bright as the sun at the prospect of playing against this brilliant man.

.

He got _absolutely_ demolished, much to his chagrin.

.

No one had any doubt that Touou would get any less than a hundred points, thanks to Teiko's old ace enrolling in the school. It wasn't only that. Everyone's eyes also fell on Kagami, the second power forward who they always deployed on the second half. If the opposing team thought they could take it easier now that Aomine was out of the picture, they were gravely mistaken because Kagami was just as skilled as Aomine (not individually of course, because as far as anyone was concerned, no one could beat him just by their lone selves) albeit in a way that he used his entire team to rally around him.

His presence wasn't electric like Aomine's. It was wilder, brighter. He stepped in the court like a roaring tiger, wheres Aomine was the panther who swiped his sharp claws without making any noise beforehand. Between both of them, no one could have even a moment of break.

 _Who's number 10?_ They'd ask. Not only was he an explosion, but he could also stand up tall in front of Aomine even if most would steer clear from that dangerous man known for his bad temper.

The whispers around Kagami was nothing but a muffled background noise as he tried to cool down after winning the fourth match earlier. Next would be the final to decide the block winner. Unsurprisingly, it was Yosen. He didn't know much about that team, save for Murasakibara, but the Touou was about to have a debrief and review of their opponent for tomorrow.

He was about to enter the bathroom when he saw pink locks around the corner near the janitor's room. Curiously, he approached the person he assumed was Satsuki, but stopped when he heard Aomine's scoff. They had yet to notice him and he thought he'd keep it that way for now.

"We're gonna fucking lose. He's not ready, Satsuki!"

"Come on, Dai-chan, give Kagamin some credit. He's been doing quite well. Besides, this is all your fault! If only you'd listen to me and work your legs more."

"I can still go, dammit. It's just a bit of a swell, no big deal. Besides, we're up again Murasakibara tomorrow. _Murasakibara_. Even _I_ have to step it up against that towering giant. And I hate giving a shit."

"Daiki," Satsuki gave Aomine _that_ tone that meant this was the end of the story and she was not budging. "One quarter. You will only be playing for _one_ quarter of your choice. If at any time I see you even slightly limping, I will take you off the court."

"Fucking stupid. We're gonna lose and it'll be _your_ fault."

The moment Kagami heard Aomine's first footstep, he went into the toilet and hid there until Satsuki left with a sigh.

_Aomine is injured?_

His expression turned pensive and didn't realise he was standing in the women's bathroom until someone screamed behind him. Kagami left with a red handprint on his cheek.

As he rubbed the sore spot with a scowl, his mind wandered to the conversation earlier. So Aomine was injured and he'd have to play a full game tomorrow against Yosen? Honestly, Kagami was damn excited, but a little nervous too. He would have to bring his A-game and impress the coach and most importantly, Aomine. How dare he said that he wasn't ready? Kagami was perfectly ready for this, thank you very much. They were going to win the block and go up against Seirin.

He was deep in thought during the walk back towards Touou's locker room, but stopped when he saw Yosen coming out of theirs.

His heart stopped.

"See you tomorrow." Was the voice of the last man he wanted to see.

His sworn brother, Himuro stood there with a cold look on his face as he turned around and continued walking with his team, not giving Kagami anything else, not even a moment to let what he just saw sink in. As Yosen left, he saw Himuro talking with Murasakibara who had an armful of sweets.

Yosen was going to be their opponent tomorrow and if Himuro really was a part of it, Kagami started to think that maybe Aomine was right when he said he wasn't ready for it.

Suddenly, the part of his chest that made contact with the ring stung. He quickly clutched the object in his palm, breathed in and out, then uncurled his fingers to take a good look at the ring.

"What's that?"

Kagami almost slammed his head on Wakamatsu's jaw in surprise. Quickly shoving the ring back under his shirt, he shook his head. "Nothing. Just a necklace."

"You're always wearing it, though." The platinum blond raised his eyebrows, sceptical.

"...Yeah," He swallowed thickly. "It's from an old friend."

"Some sort of memento? I never pegged you as the sentimental type," He elbowed Kagami jokingly and chuckled. The redhead echoed the soft laughter, thankful for the distraction. "Heard you're starting tomorrow. Hell yeah, dude," In response, Kagami met his friend's hand in a high five with a half-excited grin that rubbed the other the wrong way. "Thought you'd be happy about it. Nervous? You're awfully quiet today."

"No, not nervous at all!" Said the sub-ace perhaps too defensively. "Don't worry, it's not Murasakibara that makes me like this. There's just someone else in that team I... well, I don't feel comfortable with. I guess. But don't worry, I won't let this affect my performance."

With one hand on his hip, Wakamatsu leaned forward towards Kagami and flicked his forehead, making the redhead yelp. "Better not. You gotta show Aomine who's boss, right?"

There was something so comforting about Wakamatsu that made him relax. Thankful for his teammate's presence, he grinned and tried to think positive things. "You bet."

It'd be fine. Hopefully.

.

It wasn't like Aomine didn't have faith in Kagami. Okay, maybe he didn't. Not at all. No matter how 'abundant' his potential was, he still sucked ass. Yes, he could jump high, but could he jump higher than Murasakibara?

All things considered, it was good that he could at least play in one quarter. He thought of starting, but quickly dismissed the idea. He wanted to see how badly Kagami did so he could somehow pull the team ahead again. Hopefully, the redhead could score a few baskets.

His legs didn't sting anymore, but he knew that if he started overworking them, they'd scream at him again. It wasn't like he cared about Touou losing. He just didn't wanna lose against Murasakibara, especially not if he could help it.

The dark-skinned male sat on the bench next to Satsuki as the team gathered around. Kagami was next to Wakamatsu, spacing out, eyes on everywhere but Satsuki. That was the red flag that Aomine should've noticed, but he ignored it, thinking that it was just his imagination.

He leaned back on the chair as Kagami stood in the center ring to get the first ball. In front of him was Murasakibara.

The second red flag was when the redhead kept staring at a player in Yosen team—the dark-haired guy with a mole under his eye. Again, Aomine thought nothing of it. All he wanted to do was watch Kagami's play. He was pretty passable yesterday, so Aomine hoped for that level of performance from him again, at least.

He hunched forward as the ball was tossed up into the air.

Third red flag. Kagami's delayed reaction.

Instead of doing anything about it, Aomine clicked his tongue and could only watch as Yosen put a foot ahead of Touou. Everyone else moved like a bunch of slugs as usual, but to see Kagami following in their footsteps was downright aggravating.

Just from watching the ten seconds or something of the sub-ace's game infuriated Aomine. There was no explosion on Kagami's every step, no fiery focus from those hazel eyes that caught his attention yesterday and the day before.

He interlocked his fingers together and put them under his chin as he ground his teeth together in anger, in disappointment.

Kagami didn't do _warm-up_ at the court. At least he fucking shouldn't. That was more Aomine's thing because he just wanted to get everyone ready for some serious ass-kicking. So this thing... whatever it was that Kagami was doing, it just didn't cut it. When Yosen scored the first basket and the one after, Aomine looked at Satsuki and spoke hard enough for Harasawa's ears.

"The fucker isn't taking this seriously. I told you he's not ready."

"Give him time." Satsuki who realised the same thing he did, pursed her lips but ultimately chose to keep her faith in Touou's number 10.

Begrudgingly, Aomine turned back towards the court just in time for Sakurai to make his three pointer, thanks to Wakamatsu's assist. However, this _look_ on Kagami's face remained. It was a sombre one like he was about to break down any moment now.

It wasn't right. None of this was. Kagami wasn't supposed to look that upset or bothered, he wasn't supposed to hold back even if his opponent was two metre tall. What Kagami should be was full of fighting spirits, had the presence of a roaring tiger and would try to break past anyone in his way, no matter how skilled they were.

That _thing_ wasn't Kagami. The fake wearing the number 10 jersey who hesitated before every decision, could only jump a fraction of what the real Kagami was capable of, the one who didn't light a fire in his wake. It wasn't the man who boldly claimed that he was going to catch up to Aomine and make him admit that they were rivals.

Aomine _liked_ that Kagami, but he absolutely hated this one.

Time went on, but it didn't get any better. If anything, he became more of a wreck after every time that dark-haired bastard scored. Aomine had to admit, this Himuro guy wasn't bad, but even then, Kagami should be able to match him, if not surpass him.

It was at the eight minutes mark that Aomine decided that enough was enough. Kagami wasn't only doing horribly, he was doing _worse_ than those snails. Aomine didn't understand how it was possible to weigh down a team the way he did.

Angrily, he shot up and balled his fist.

"Coach, sub me in. I can't fucking stand that sorry excuse of a power forward."

.

Everyone was aware of how out of it their number 10 was.

Wakamatsu, who suddenly could jump as high as him. Sakurai, who scored far more than him. Imayoshi, who could run faster than him. Susa, whose presence was larger than his.

It was very uncharacteristic and Wakamatsu deeply regretted not prying a little more yesterday. He saw the signs of Kagami faltering, and while the redhead assured him that everything was okay, it clearly wasn't if it bothered him so much that it impacted his basketball to this extent. It wasn't only that, he was also worried about Kagami. He was a genuinely likeable person, a good friend for him. Usually, they had good chemistry when playing that was only made well-rounded by the others.

The rest of the team was on edge too and as a result, it threw everyone off their games. Power forwards were supposed to blaze through the court, not run sluggishly the way Kagami was doing right now. None of them understood what was going on, especially after the dominant display of skill in the past few matches.

Kagami was hesitating and it would spell the end for Touou's interhigh if someone didn't step in, considering they were up against Murasakibara and his friend who was really, _really_ good as well. They were well aware that Aomine was injured, so more than ever, they needed Kagami to pull through.

And the redhead knew this. He was aware that he was the weak link on the court, all thanks to the heavy burden hanging off his neck. Touou had a high chance of winning, but if they did, then it would be over for him and Himuro. After all, they made _that_ promise on their last meeting in America.

_Get it together... get it together..._

Everyone trusted him to play his best, and this was far from it. He was doing so abysmally, it shamed even himself.

"Is that all you've got, Taiga?" Himuro's words as he scored yet another point only poured salt over his wound. His team was doing their best to stop Murasakibara's advances, yet here he was, unable to hold his own even though he— _everyone_ knew he was capable of that.

Eight minutes into the game and Yosen was leading by fifteen points. If Kagami didn't get his shit together, they would be in a very tough spot. The whistle blew just before Imayoshi could say something about it.

"Touou, member change!"

Kagami's heart sank.

When he turned towards the bench, he was met with a pair of ice-cold blue eyes that _terrified_ him.


	6. He is Flame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have shuffled things around and reread this chapter like 439085 times, I'm pretty sure I made a lot of mistakes LMAOO I hope no stray paragraphs related to the next chapter are left here.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for all your support! <3 It makes me happy that people are enjoying this :)

Kuroko sat with the rest of Seirin on the very back row to watch this match between Touou and Yosen. Riko was adamant about viewing this from start to finish just so they could collect more data on Kagami, since they already knew what Aomine was capable of. In the corner of his eyes, he saw Kise and Midorima too, although Akashi was nowhere to be seen.

"He's not playing well, is he?" Kiyoshi was the first to mutter with an index finger on his chin.

"No," The ex-Teiko member admitted bluntly. "This is only a fraction of what he can do. Something is stopping him from letting loose. I doubt it's an injury since he is running normally."

"He jumped way higher during our practice match too," Agreed Hyuuga, nodding thoughtfully the moment the whistle blew. "Ah, there's the member change. I was wondering why he didn't come out sooner."

Aomine stepped into the court and he might as well freeze the entire place with how coldly he stared at Kagami. The redhead didn't have it in him to return such an accusatory gaze, so he hurried towards the bench with his head down. As he sat down and took a drink of water, he felt Satsuki's hand rubbing his back soothingly.

That made everything so much worse. Kagami felt _awful_ for letting everyone down. He bit down on the nozzle of the bottle until his teeth quivered. The chain around his neck still felt like it weighed a tonne and he was being pulled under with it.

"You have a history with Himuro Tatsuya," The manager whispered, making the sub-ace tense. "But do not let it affect you. Not now. You are better than this, Kagamin. You _will_ be Dai-chan's rival, correct?"

Kagami nodded heavily.

"Then you must get through this. I know you can," Her free hand gripped Kagami's hand and her thumb stroke the back of his palm gently. "Dai-chan was upset at you, you know? I know for a fact that he wouldn't have gotten so angry if it was anyone else who fumbles. But he does because it's _you._ He's furious because he believes in you, Kagamin. Please don't let him down."

The _'he's been let down too many times. Do not be the one to break what is left of him'_ hung heavy in the air, making everything so much harder for Kagami.

He didn't think he'd play _this_ poorly, but knowing that he had betrayed Aomine's trust in him hurt a million times worse than he thought it would because he knew for a fact that Aomine didn't give that freely—he had to work damn hard to earn it.

"Watch, Kagamin," Satsuki eased the water bottle out of her friend's hand. "Watch Dai-chan's anger and let it motivate you."

Kagami only caught the last thirty seconds of the first quarter but he could clearly see Aomine at his 100%. The ace zapped across the court, feinting and trick-dribbling like his life depended on it. It was a one-man show. Aomine hogged the ball, never once letting go of it but in return, he mowed down everyone in his path. Even Murasakibara hesitated the moment their eyes met. The lazy point guard's movement became delayed and it allowed Aomine to take full control of the field.

The crowd's cheers were deafening as Touou scored point after point on the back of their number 5. The fifteen points lead turned into only two the moment the buzzer went off.

Immediately, Kagami got to his feet and looked at Aomine who was still downright livid as he stomped towards the bench.

"Ao—"

The next thing he felt was agonising pain on his left cheek as he lost his balance and fell on his rear.

The audiences gasped in surprise at the aggression and the rest of Touou ran to stop Aomine, but not before the guy got a hold of Kagami's collar and dragged their faces together. "Don't you fucking _dare_ apologise. Go and fix it instead of moping like a baby who can only suck his thumb."

"Aomine-kun, that's enough!" Satsuki pulled her childhood friend with Wakamatsu's help. Fortunately, Aomine didn't resist. Instead, he allowed himself to be pulled away before roughly yanking his arms away.

"Aomine." Harasawa's voice was stern, full of warning but he didn't seem entirely displeased at the turn of the event since he knew that this would probably snap Kagami out of it. Victory above all else.

With a scoff, Aomine stormed past Kagami who was still on the floor.

"What a fucking asshole. Dude, you okay?" Wakamatsu offered a hand that the redhead tentatively took.

"Yeah," He said angrily. That was so pathetic. Reflexively, he shot a glance at Himuro who looked surprised at the display of aggression, but Kagami could've sworn the corner of his lips twitched into a pleased smirk that said 'you deserve it'.

And yes, Kagami deserved it. He held back just like all those years ago. Who was it that kept telling Aomine to play seriously? If there was one thing Kagami didn't want to be, it was a hypocrite. So, he needed to get his ass into the game and stop worrying about what would come next. He was never the type to sweat anything other than the now anyway.

"I'm okay now," He stood up while brushing an arm across his stinging left cheek and let Wakamatsu slap his back. "Sorry for worrying you guys. I promise I'll make up for my terrible performance. Coach, please put me in again! I won't let you down this time." He announced with a deep bow, hoping that he would get through.

Harasawa's calculating eyes met the ace's and upon seeing the flame of determination in them, he nodded, making everyone else let out a sigh of relief. "Fine. This is your last chance, Kagami. Do not mess it up."

Those words of approval made a firm smile return on his face. "I won't."

As the buzzer signalling the beginning of second quarter echoed, everyone took turns slapping Kagami's back as they entered the court although Sakurai only gently tapped him and ended it with a loud 'sorry!'. Such trust instilled some warmth inside him. He really worried everyone, didn't he?

He wasn't sure about Imayoshi, but at least everyone seemed concerned about him.

"Your cheek okay?" Wakamatsu asked as they got into position.

"It's fine. It was a good thing that asshole did that." Yeah, he really needed the rough wake up call. Besides, if what Satsuki said was true, then he couldn't afford to give any less than his best.

 _I see you're finally ready to play_ was written all over Himuro's smirk even if his lips didn't move. Their eyes made contact with each other and Kagami immediately assumed his stance.

This time, no more hesitation.

The first ball was Yosen's. After what batshit crazy stuff Aomine pulled the point difference was practically negligible. It was no time for distraction, though. So Kagami immediately set his eyes on the ball in Himuro's hand and he moved to block him. Wakamatsu and Susa kept themselves busy with Murasakibara who still wasn't showing any intention to play seriously, probably because he already looked down on Kagami.

That annoyed the crap out of him. With a growl, he read Himuro's feint and stole the object from under his nose.

"Nice, Kagami!" Wakamatsu ran past him in an attempt to break free from his blocker, a big guy with a dark hair with the jersey number 4.

Kagami dashed across the court as quickly as his legs could take him but were stopped just before he could go past the three-point line where Himuro stood between him and the ring.

"You'll never win against me, Taiga."

"Try me." With a grin, he jumped and let the ball fly.

Sakurai was the first to flail, knowing full well that it was off-trajectory and there was no way it was gonna go in. Behind him, Imayoshi let out a disappointed 'aah' but didn't get the chance to finish because the next thing they knew, Kagami ran past Himuro while he was distracted with watching the ball fall.

The redhead jumped and dunked it in.

When the whistle blew, the crowd roared.

"What was that, you crazy bastard!?" Wakamatsu laughed as he ruffled his friend's hair. "C'mon, keep doing plays like that and we'll definitely win."

Tapping their knuckles together, they paced back to their positions.

.

Aomine didn't come back until the beginning of the second half because he had to cool his head or he was just gonna explode again. Honestly, he wasn't sure why he reacted the way he did. If, say, Wakamatsu decided to play even worse than he usually would, Aomine would just roll his eyes and make a comment about what a pile of untalented garbage he was.

But Kagami was a bit better than garbage. Okay, maybe more than a bit. So, it angered him to see that someone who said he'd be his rival to play so pathetically like that. _Especially_ after Aomine admitted that maybe he would be a worthy opponent in the future, after all.

After throwing cold water over his face, Aomine took a deep breath and entered the gym once more.

The sight that awaited him made him smirk. He came in to Kagami soaring towards the ring and jamming the ball full force like he was supposed to at the beginning of the match. All around them, crowd went wild with excitement.

Touou was the one in the lead now. It was only a measly three points, but a lead nonetheless, and a proof that Kagami wasn't an embarrassment. Calmly, he walked towards the bench with his eyes set on the court, then sat next to Satsuki who had a soft smile directed towards him.

"He's doing great." She said.

"Eeh, he's okay." Was Aomine's reply, not realising that he was smirking as he watched Kagami holding his own against Himuro without any assistance. Their skill level was very similar, from what Aomine could see. With just a little bit more self-encouragement, the redhead would be able to surpass the shooting guard.

The game continued on, and slowly, the three on the bench could see signs of Murasakibara getting more and more aggravated as Wakamatsu and Imayoshi pushed him to the edge.

Aomine hummed thoughtfully with a finger pressed against his lips. They were only barely managing to fight on even with Murasakibara only on about 30% of his strength. If he decided to wake up at any moment, then they might slip.

Yosen was amazing, and it wasn't because of Murasakibara alone. Himuro definitely shone too this game, Aomine would give him that much. No matter how well Kagami played, he had no chance of handling these two at the same time, considering they might need a third person to guard Yosen's centre at this point.

"Coach, sub me in next quarter," He muttered with his back hunched. "Get Susa outta there. I should be able to take it easier if Kagami's around.

"I think we should sub Sakurai out instead and get Wakamatsu to take his position since we should prioritise defence right now. Three-pointers are no good against Mukkun," The manager glanced at Aomine, then back at Harasawa for confirmation. When he lightly nodded after a few seconds of silence, Satsuki tapped Aomine's back. "Don't go too crazy, Dai-chan. Oh, and do _not_ enter the zone or I will take you out."

"Like out of the court or with a sniper?"

Satsuki ignored him.

True enough, Touou managed to piss Murasakibara off. During a timeout, the guy even tied his hair back which meant that he was finally going to get started. Aomine braced himself for the worst as Yosen dispersed into the court once more, this time more confident than before.

"Always a pain in the ass." The blunette muttered when Murasakibara broke past three people and stopping Kagami's dunk all in one go. The redhead looked visibly surprised at the change in attitude and so was the rest of Touou, with the exception of Imayoshi who kept smirking.

The purple-haired giant turned towards the bench and glared at Aomine. "Come out, Mine-chin or I'll crush your team starting with this annoying rabbit." He pointed at Kagami and the blunette snorted at that.

"Yeah, stop him _if_ you can." 

He could've sworn he saw a shocked look followed by a grin from Kagami that he quickly hid. It wasn't only the redhead who looked baffled, but Murasakibara and the other Touou players too.

_Oh shit, did I just compliment him? Fuck. He won't live this down now._

"Aw!" Satsuki's eyes glimmered and Aomine planted his face in his palms.

Looked like that compliment did nothing but encourage Kagami to push past his limits. His play became fiercer than before as he left Himuro to the others and moved to Murasakibara instead. The redhead might lack the strength to face off against the giant but that didn't mean he couldn't make his opponent's life a living hell. He constantly hounded Yosen's centre, not giving him any free shot and even denying some with his crazy jumping power.

Touou's lead turned into Yosen's, but it wasn't as bad as it could be. Aomine's clenched hands trembled and his feet rocked up and down without him realising it.

_Sub me in already._

That was probably the first time in a long while he really, _really_ wanted to play. It didn't go unnoticed by Satsuki whose heart drummed with happiness.

When the third quarter ended, the score was 45-56 in Yosen's favour. Everyone was running on low except for three on the court. They all stared each other down before turning to leave without so much as a word. Aomine caught a glimpse of Himuro tapping his taller teammate on the back.

Kagami was quick to run towards the blunette with a grin that made him a bit flustered. Turning away, he crossed his arms. "Hey, uh," The redhead scratched his chin nervously and muttered, "Thanks. For snapping me out of it."

"Yeah, whatever. Four bumbling idiots on the court is bad enough. Don't need a fifth."

Instead of talking back, the grin on Kagami's face didn't fade. If anything, it got wider. "That sounds like a compliment to me."

"Fuck off! You still suck ass so don't get full of yourself now," He turned around and put a foot on the bench so he could make sure his shoelaces were fastened. "I'm playing next, so you better keep up."

"You're playing next, so that means—" Wakamatsu looked downright horrified, but Satsuki quickly cut before he could cry or do anything embarrassing like that.

"Wakamatsu, you're taking Sakurai's position because we need as much defensive power as we can."

"Sorry!" The brunette bowed down and squirmed towards the bench while the blonde let out a sigh of relief.

The team had a quick strategy meeting in the two minutes downtime they had before the last quarter started. It was decided that Kagami would take care of Himuro while Aomine would go head-to-head with his old teammate.

"Kagami," The blunette said as they walked towards the court. "Keep up with me."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

.

"Woah," Kiyoshi had a big smile on his face as he intently watched the final quarter kick off. "Touou is going double ace?"

"But it won't matter if Aomine plays by himself again. It's a shame since Kagami's an amazing player. Has Aomine always been like that?" Hyuuga shrugged in response to Kiyoshi's excitement.

"No, but I believe that we are in for a surprise," Said Kuroko with a faint smile. The fight earlier only cemented his theory that Aomine and Kagami had started to build mutual trust and respect, so if there was anyone his old light would depend on, it would be Kagami.

"So you really think Aomine won't ball hog?" Was Riko's question.

Seeing Kagami on the court watching Aomine's every move like a hawk while keeping an eye on his mark made him nod. "Yeah," Kuroko said firmly. "Aomine-kun will pass to Kagami-kun."

.

Keeping up with Aomine was easier said than done, considering what crazy manoeuvres he pulled that Kagami didn't even know humans were capable of. To begin with, he wasn't sure why the guy emphasised that point 'keep up with me'. Surely, it wasn't only for bragging rights, though Kagami had to admit that fuck, he looked so dazzling when using 100% of his power.

Murasakibara wasn't any less impressive. His reach was far longer than it was during the past three quarters and then there was Himuro and his stupid Mirage shot he couldn't figure out. Thus far, Touou always made it a point to not let anyone pass to the dark-haired male in order to stop that strange throw.

A strange throw that Aomine managed to figure out and stop in one try. It must've been Satsuki's tip-off during the crash strategy meeting that he was too distracted to pay attention to.

"You're good," Said the ace wearing number 5 as he grabbed the ball. "But you will never be as good as the Miracles." The moment he finished that sentence, he charged forward right towards Murasakibara who held both his arms out. "Sorry, pal. Not today." With a grin, Aomine threw the ball behind him in the air, out of reach from everyone.

But Kagami kept up. He was there and his eyes glinted with excitement when the rubber ball flew so high up in the air. The redhead bent his body low, then he jumped.

The entire court could only stare as Kagami towered over everyone else and grabbed the stupidly terrible pass that no one should ever get. No one except Kagami, it seemed.

The other ace had the largest grin on his face as he dribbled towards the ring before Murasakibara could react. That split second of delay cost him and the rest of Yosen as Kagami broke through all of their defenses and slammed the ball into the goal.

"Aomine!" Kagami turned towards his teammate and gave him a thumbs up, crowd cheering in the background. "Nice pass." (It really wasn't).

In response, Aomine wiped the sweat off his face and smirked. "Heh. 'Course," Then, he put his hands on his waist. "Can you keep up with me s'more, loser?"

"You fucking bet I can."

If by that it meant Aomine was going to pass more often, Kagami was all for it. The guy was a force to be reckoned with just on his own, so he could only imagine what hell would break loose once the guy learned to cooperate with others.

The next eight minutes or so passed by in a blink of an eye. While Aomine kept his individualistic playstyle, he would occasionally pass to Kagami. It was a back and forth between them and the three others only grabbed a hold of the ball a few times. Aomine's pass was sloppy, but he was smart about it. He knew he would never make it using an ordinary straight, so he always lobbed it so far up in the air, only Kagami could grab it.

It didn't always work. Sometimes it'd just drop on Wakamatsu's head and other time, Murasakibara intercepted it. However, between the two's sporadic and volatile attacks, they kept the offence going. Imayoshi, Susa and Wakamatsu had been delegated as the fortress. Together, they kept most of Yosen in check and completely disabled any double-teaming on their aces.

"Kagami!" Aomine yelled as he ducked under Murasakibara's arm the moment he saw his teammate in front of him.

"Won't let you!" The tallest of them all moved to block the pass only to be met with a large grin.

"On second thought, passing isn't really my style." With that, he completely changed his stance and dashed past his old teammate's other side, then threw the ball in freestyle form right into the ring for a three-pointer.

However, Murasakibara wasn't only big. His reflex was also amazing. In a single moment, he jabbed his other hand into the air and scraped the ball enough to throw it off trajectory.

"You fucker..." The ace had a sinister grin on his face as he watched it bumped against the outer ring, There was no more time for a counterattack if Yosen—

"Raaah!" Kagami leapt towards the ball and dunked it in.

The buzzer went off, and Touou won by one point.

"Holy shit," Aomine stammered. "Holy fuck." It soon turned into quiet laughter as Kagami ran towards him and held up his hand. Shoulders still shaking with amusement, relief and _joy_ , he met the other ace's palm in a hard-hitting high five.

"Fuck YEAH! That's what I'm talkin' about!" Thoughtlessly, he placed his hand behind Aomine's head and gently bumped their foreheads together before he let go and ran off towards Wakamatsu who immediately tackled him.

Satsuki was already off her seat, grinning like an idiot as she waved at everyone, shouts of congratulation being drowned out by Touou's cheering squad. Wakamatsu kept ruffling Kagami's hair as they made their way towards the bench, telling him how awesome he was, and that definitely made the redhead grin grew wider.

"You guys were _so_ great!" Satsuki grabbed Kagami's arm and the other went for Aomine's. She pulled the two together towards her as she squealed in joy, ignoring her childhood friend's complaints. She could already tell that this was the start of something epic.

"Taiga," Himuro's voice snapped him out of it and stiffened his entire body. At some point, he forgot about the promise he made with his old friend. "We made a deal."

"We did," He muttered, eyes narrowed and brows scrunched under Himuro's heavy gaze. One glance at his uniform and he pulled out the ring attached to the chain. Aomine looked interested because why wouldn't he? That thing never came off even when they had sex. "But—"

"Throw it away." The dark-haired male said with a detached voice before he walked past Kagami, not forgetting to slam into his shoulder.

"First name basis? Is that the guy who made you play like garbage?" Aomine frown only intensified when Kagami didn't answer him and instead, opted to stare at Himuro's back with a pair of melancholic, longing eyes. It wasn't a good look on him if Aomine were to be honest, and it bothered him. A lot. "Oi!"

He wanted to yell at Kagami, punch him one more time for good measure and maybe kick him while he was on the ground. However, seeing the genuinely ecstatic expression he employed earlier, followed with that damn forehead-bump made him think twice. His desire to see Kagami smile triumphed over the contrast, so he tried to calm himself down.

"Kagami." Wakamatsu tapped him on the other shoulder. Almost instantly, the number 10 reacted.

"Ah, sorry. He's... was an old friend." As he finished the sentence, he clutched the ring in his palm and closed his eyes.

"You're ignoring me!?" Pissed that the other reacted to Wakamatsu and not him, Aomine raised his voice.

"You're noisy! Go away. Let's go cool down and watch Kuroko's match after. It should start in fifteen minutes."

The entirety of Touou soon followed as they jogged outside towards the grass field to commence their cooldown drill. The whole time, Aomine kept whining about wanting to know who Himuro was, but ultimately ignored.

.

Kiyoshi Teppei.

He was damn good. Not quite Miracles good but he utilised his teammates to the best of their ability and he shone even brighter with Kuroko there to assist him with those crazy amazing passes that got Satsuki fangirling like there was no tomorrow. She would constantly shake Aomine's shoulder and scream into his neck, but the ace was too tired to fight it. Instead, he sat there motionlessly with no expression as he let Satsuki did whatever she wanted to him.

Kagami could only give him a reassuring smile that said 'stay strong!'.

It wasn't only Seirin who brought their A-game. Shuutoku fought hard too with Midorima and Takao stealing the spotlight. Their teamwork was polished in a way that everyone played around Midorima's annoying three-pointers. As a result, it was a nail-biting match that got everyone on the edge of their seat.

In the corner of his eyes, Kagami spotted Himuro and Murasakibara standing on the very back. Both of them were quiet and Kagami had this intense urge to come up to his sworn brother and speak to him. However, he knew that wouldn't bide very well.

Suddenly, Himuro glanced to his direction and their eyes met. There was an intense look of pain flashing on the Yosen player's face, followed with an ice-cold growl that made Kagami want to scream out his name and apologise. For what? For everything, he supposed. He didn't even know where to begin.

Just as his mouth parted, Aomine's arm curled around his shoulder and snapped him out of it. "Don't even think about it."

"What!? You don't even know what I was about to say."

"Huh!?" Aomine trapped the other in a headlock and flicked his forehead. "You were gonna apologise, weren't you? If I ever hear you saying sorry for winning, I'm gonna beat you up, shithead."

"I wasn't gonna!" The redhead snapped, in turn riling the ace up even more.

"Don't lie to me!"

It took a while before they finished arguing, but when they did, they noticed that Himuro and Murasakibara had left. With a sigh, Kagami focused back on the game in front of him.

Did it really have to end this way?

Seirin ended up bagging the victory that day, much to Aomine's surprise.

And that damn Kagami. He spent thirty whole minutes gushing about god-knows-what with Kuroko. Occasionally, he'd hear the 'congratulations' thrown in there somewhere but Aomine opted to stay away from the group for now. They'd meet again soon enough anyway, and they'd speak through their basket. There was no doubt in Aomine's mind that he was going to win, though. 

Didn't change the fact that he still wanted explanation about this Himuro jerk.

Still, when did Kagami and Kuroko become buddy-buddy?

"You lost," The blunette said to Midorima who clicked his tongue in distaste. Along with him, Murasakibara and Kise were also present. "Guess it's just us and Akashi now."

"I can't wait to face you, Aominecchi!" The blond grin then turned into a challenging smirk. "And I'm definitely gonna win this time."

In response, Aomine shrugged.

"I can't believe you actually passed, Mine-chin." Murasakibara mumbled, still a bit annoyed.

"Well, Satsuki told me to take it easy since apparently my legs were acting out. I wouldn't have done that, otherwise. He sucks."

"You wouldn't pass if you think that. Besides, in my opinion, he did great. What's his name again, Kagami or something?" Kise smiled. "I heard you punched him. That's mean, Aominecchi!"

"He had it coming. Anyway, we're gonna beat Seirin to the ground. See you at the match, Kise." The blunette turned around and approached his team who was waiting for him.

"Don't underestimate them." Said Midorima firmly just in time for Kagami to meet his fellow ace halfway.

Turning around, Aomine put a hand around Kagami's shoulders and grinned. "Whatever. We're not losing anyway. Let's go back to your place, Bakagami. I'm hungry."

"Wait, why am I cooking for you!?" The two's bickering gradually became less and less audible. When they were out of the earshot, Kise scratched his head.

" _We,_ huh? Aominecchi sure thinks highly of that guy."

"He wouldn't have gotten so worked up otherwise," As usual with his sudden appearance, Kuroko said flatly, making Kise jump. "This is a different Aomine-kun than what I've seen. What do you think, Murasakibara-kun?"

"It's annoying. I don't like them."

The bespectacled one of the group looked just annoyed as Murasakibara, which made Kuroko regard him with a nod. "That was a good game, Midorima-kun, but we win this time."

"I won't lose next time," Said the Shuutoku player while he fixed his glasses. "But you better win against Aomine."

" _And_ Kagami-kun." Kuroko added with a thin smile.

.

The match earlier was intense, satisfying and it exhausted Kagami so much to the point of wanting to just crash. However, they had to return back to school for a debrief and strategy review for the match against Seirin. He didn't pay attention to a single thing Satsuki said and neither did Aomine or Wakamatsu.

The pink-haired manager ended the session with a loud sigh, knowing that she only got through to Susa and Imayoshi. Harasawa was happy to let Satsuki handle it, as usual. Instead, he studied the data gathered from today's match. No doubt he'd give some pointers before the match in three days.

"The starters are as follow: Imayoshi as point guard. Sakurai as shooting guard," He flicked through the paper thoughtfully. "Wakamatsu, small forward."

Susa's eyes widened, but he ultimately nodded in understanding.

"Kagami, centre. Aomine, power forward."

"Look at you being a big boy." The dark-skinned male teased, voice painted with mirth as he gently punched the new centre's shoulder.

"Momoi, see to it that these two work together. I will accept no more violence." He then passed the stack of paper back to the manager who nodded in response.

"You heard the coach, boys! No more punching each other, got it?" She then leaned into their space and stared dead into their eyes. " _Or else_."

"...Y-yes ma'am!" The two stiffened, stood up and bowed simultaneously.

"Is this really the right decision?" Wakamatsu mumbled. "I mean, sure, they kinda worked together earlier, but it was really sloppy. Seirin is looking decently strong this year, so I'm a bit worried."

"No need for that," Was Imayoshi's response. "We will win. Seirin has nothing on us. Especially not when we have our double ace."

Everyone could only hope that this wasn't going to bite them back in their ass.

"Now, Kagamin!" Satsuki put her arms on her waist and leaned towards the redhead. "What happened earlier?"

That question took him by surprise. Instead of answering right away, he stammered unintelligibly. "Well... uh, it's... kind of a really long story and..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Not something I want to share. Sorry. But I assure you it won't happen again. I swear."

In response, Satsuki sighed, then nodded. "Fine. But if you ever need anything, you know we're here for you. We're all a team, after all."

Satsuki's smile made Kagami's heart stop drumming. It was so gentle and sweet, he felt like he was being blanketed by a soft, strawberry-scented quilt.

"Yeah. Thanks." He bowed his head, a relieved smile printed on his lips. When he felt Wakamatsu's and Susa's hands on his shoulders, he realised that what Satsuki said wasn't just lip service. Because on the court, Touou's teamwork might be mediocre, but off the court, they cared for each other more than they let off.

.

The walk back home was excruciatingly difficult for Kagami who just wanted to run away. It didn't help that his place was close to Aomine's, so they took the train together. As they sat next to each other, the redhead fidgeted. Aomine had played it cool after the terrible performance he pulled on the first quarter, but it didn't sit well with him to just ignore the elephant in the room.

His team might've been alright without an explanation, but Aomine? Maybe not so much.

Because the Aomine he knew would just yell at him at the end of the match, but for some reason, he didn't. He teased, but Kagami knew that deep down, the blunette was still pissed. There was something bugging the ace, something significant enough for him to not voice his aggression.

"Sorry," He muttered, eyes cast down. "I played like crap earlier. Must've been annoying to watch."

"Mm." The dark-skinned male nodded, the anger now visible again in his blue eyes.

"Tatsuya... was a close friend of mine. You can say that we had a falling out." He clenched his pants as Aomine glanced at him from the corner of his eyes.

There was a long silence before Aomine finally let out a breath. "You don't have to say it if you don't wanna. All I need to know is that your play won't get affected like that anymore."

"It won't! It definitely won't!" The response was immediate. Kagami's eyes were firm as they stared into Aomine's. "But I'm surprised you didn't hit me again after the match ended. I thought for sure you would."

"Haah!? What kinda brute do you take me for!? I know when someone's feeling like their pet dog just died. Besides... we're even, aren't we?" He looked away, bottom lip sticking forward in a pout. "You fucked up and I kinda punched you. That was probably uncalled for."

The redhead only stared incredulously at the apology. Long enough for Aomine to continue speaking, this time very quietly.

"...That sad look back on the court doesn't suit you. You're a Bakagami. All you're supposed to do is grin like an idiot."

The statement made Kagami's face flared so red, he was pretty convinced that steam just escaped from his ears. That was a very Aomine-like—a roundabout way of saying that he was more worried than angry. It made Kagami's heart threaten to burst out of his ribcage because _holy shit, that's so damn cute_.

Kagami ended up turning his head to the side too. "...Idiot... stop insulting me..."

Both of their faces were red and they looked away from each other with their hammering hearts the rest of the train ride home.


	7. I'll Break Your Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all  
> i just finished writing chapter 9 and that's probably my favourite chapter kldfjiofadjioejf it's like, character development galore and I'm just so proud of myself  
> anyway here's chapter 7 and it's super sappy!! I hope you guys like it!! I'm kinda worried about portraying a vulnerable Aomine bc whew it feels OOC idk, so hopefully I'm doing him justice 🥺🥺🥺🥺
> 
> I feel unstoppable writing at the moment... my plot bunnies are working overtime!!

Aomine was just as exhausted as Kagami. On the way back to the redhead's apartment, he was practically leaning on the other. Kagami didn't voice his discomfort even though Aomine was damn heavy. Instead, he let the guy push into his space and practically breath into his neck.

It gave Kagami goosebumps to feel Aomine so close and intimate like this. In a way, it flattered him too, because this meant that even just a little, Aomine had begun to depend on him. They took yet another step towards being friends, no matter how volatile things still were between them.

Kagami didn't push Aomine away even when he rummaged through his pocket to find his key and unlocked the door. When he closed it, the bluehead was practically dangling off his back, arms wrapped around his waist and jaw resting on his shoulder.

The two dropped their bags on the couch in the living room, exhausted.

With a soft chuckle, Kagami reached an arm towards Aomine's head and started petting his soft blue hair. This guy was damn heavy, but the way he was acting was seriously cute. "You're like a cat, y'know?"

"Meow."

That made him snort and soon, it turned loud laughter as he allowed himself to be dragged into the couch by the pair of strong brown arms. Aomine didn't let go of him. Instead, he lifted his head and brushed his lips against Kagami's ear, making the redhead's breath hitch.

"This cat wanna doggy-style you," He rumbled, voice low and seductive. "Now, get naked."

Kagami didn't argue. He swallowed thickly and he quickly pulled up his jersey only for Aomine's slender, calloused fingers to run over his abs, then up to his chest where his nipples were pinched.

"Mm!" He whined at the sensation, then the heat of his body made him remember that they both smelt like shit. "You... you're always horny after basket or something? C'mon, we should at least have a shower."

"Doggy style in the shower? Sold." The dark-skinned male grinned as he dragged Kagami into the specified destination. The door was promptly slammed shut once they were both inside, and they desperately shimmied out of their clothing.

"You know," Kagami growled in hunger upon seeing Aomine's unbelievably sexy body and let out a whine when the other's lips latched onto his neck. "You're so fucking sexy when you play."

"Mm, you like seeing me kick ass?" Despite his confident remarks, Aomine could actually die happy hearing that. Instead of just awe, he also coaxed lust from Kagami. Not fear. It was never fear. He was thankful that the redhead couldn't see his eyes because he didn't even know what kind of expression he was making as he continued lapping and sucking on skin, not caring that he'd leave marks.

"Yeah. Fuck, it's like," He gasped when Aomine licked his nipple, fingers twisting the other. "Your basket... is so sensual," They both melted into each other as they slowly backed towards the shower. Kagami turned the tap on and let the cold water wash the sweat and grime on their bodies. The temperature soon increased into room temperature, then to warm. "So sleek, so fucking hypnotising."

"Good," Aomine smirked into Kagami's chest. His hands traced down towards the other's navel, then it went straight for his erect cock. "'Cause yours drive me crazy too."

If Kagami could die happy, that was probably the moment. Aomine complimented him twice on the same day. What a world he lived in.

They might not get along outside the sanctity of this place, but it was better than nothing. Overtime, Kagami started to enjoy Aomine's presence. The guy was an absolute ass and could be unreasonable with the way he ran his mouth, insulted everyone at every opportune moment and boasted his skill like he was the greatest player alive.

But when nobody else was watching, he showed a much softer side—a more vulnerable Aomine who was surprisingly cuddly, starved for affection and all-around quieter.

He changed his theory that Aomine wouldn't be a gentle lover.

Now, Kagami started to think that Aomine would be the gentlest lover, ever, probably. One day, when he recovered from his slump and found a nice girl to settle with, what kind of expression would he give her? He would probably look at her and only her. Aomine might strike some people as someone who played around and not settle, but Kagami saw firsthand how kindly he treated Satsuki. The ace would definitely prize his girl and shower her with love in his own way.

How nice. If only he'd let more of that softness show, then he would no doubt attract many admirers. However, there was something nice too about this secret side of his that only a select few people knew about. It made Kagami feel like he had succeeded in deciphering some part of the hieroglyph that was Aomine.

Surprisingly, he liked what he discovered.

He started wishing that Aomine would think of him as a friend too—someone who he could depend on. He wanted the other to know that he didn't have to carry all his burdens by himself, because no matter how strong someone was, they were bound to crumble if they had no one to help them.

In an attempt to express this, Kagami planted a soft kiss on Aomine's head, one that was soon drowned by the myriad of moans as they succumbed into pleasure.

.

"...Soooo... are you gonna tell me about this Himuro guy or do you expect me to figure it out by myself?"

Hearing the legitimately curious tone that Wakamatsu employed, Kagami looked up from his three bento boxes and scratched his cheek. "It's kinda a long story."

"We've still got another twenty minutes of lunch left." He muttered even though the elephant in the room grabbed his attention more than anything. It was the three hickeys scattered on Kagami's neck. One just above his right collarbone, another on his Adam's apple and the other on his nape.

Did this guy not check himself out in the mirror before coming to school?

Wakamatsu looked so genuinely worried about him that Kagami felt bad for keeping this a secret. Out of everyone in the team, he would say that he was the closest with the center, so he decided to suck it up. "Tatsuya was my old friend back in America. He was the reason I started basketball, and I guess... you can say that we had a fight," He put down the lunchbox and gripped his ring. "And he said that the next time I beat him, we will no longer be friends."

"That's stupid," Never been the one to beat around the bush, Wakamatsu frowned. "I don't know the whole story, but it sounds to me like it's just about pride. If your friendship breaks just because of that, maybe it was never real to begin with. Besides, if he really loves basket, why would he be salty that you're suddenly better than him?"

Speaking with people who was not afraid to voice their thoughts felt nice. Kagami had a faint smile on his lips as he nodded. "Yeah, I guess, but I think the wound was fresh for him, after we beat him. I'd like to think that he said things he didn't mean, but... sometimes I don't know. Maybe it was bound to happen sooner or later."

The resigned tone was replied with a firm slap on the back. "C'mon, dude. That's so not like you. Just talk to him if you really wanna fix it. I'm sure he'll listen to you."

"Yeah," Kagami grinned, thankful for the blonde's support. "I'll do that next time I see him. Thanks."

"Anytime. And..." He pulled on the side of Kagami's collar. "What's with the hickeys?"

That made the redhead flinch and he immediately pulled back, slapping both hands over his neck. "Ah... shit. Shit. So that's why everyone's been staring at me." And that Aomine. Why didn't he say anything!?

"Damn, man... you got a girlfriend? I mean, of course, you would. You're popular as all hell."

"No way! I've got no time for girlfriends when I'm busy practising. I wanna get in the NBA after high school, y'know? This is just... it's... uh... bug bites."

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say," The other replied flatly before going back to his yakisoba bread. "Though it'd be nice to get a girlfriend, huh?"

The statement made Kagami stop being so defensive and instead, he leaned back on the bench with both his arms on the surface behind him as he looked up. "Really?"

"Whaddya mean 'really'?" Wakamatsu lightly elbowed his friend.

 _I'm gay, though,_ Kagami muttered internally. "I dunno, relationships just sound like a pain. That means I'll have less time to play basket too."

"Do you not think about anything else? If you love it that much, then just get a girl who also plays. The girls basket team is decently strong, so you'll probably get along with them," Wakamatsu replied. "Even Aomine has Momoi."

 _Oh, right. No one knows that it's all pretence._ "I dunno, maybe I'll get one eventually. For now, I'm happy just being by myself. Besides, I've already got my hands full," At the questioning look, Kagami sighed. "Aomine."

"Right," He snorted. "Must be hard, huh?"

"Honestly, it's not too bad," Wakamatsu looked visibly surprised at that. "He's a jerk at school, but out of it, he's actually... I dunno, kinda nice. I guess."

"What's with all this talk of Aomine being _nice_?"

"It's true!" Kagami hunched his back and put his index finger under his nose so his hand covered his lips. "He doesn't pick fights often and he's actually more sensitive. He's just... nice to spend time with. At home."

 _At home._ Those two words rang in Wakamatsu's head. Then, he glanced at Kagami's hickeys, then at the redhead's face which was dusted pink.

"Ah. I see." He said flatly.

"What do you see!?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." He looked away with an amused expression as Kagami shook his shoulder violently.

Wakamatsu didn't really understand what Kagami saw in Aomine, but if he was happy, then whatever.

.

It took Kagami the whole day of being stared at and Wakamatsu blatantly voicing it, to realise that yes, he had three big. Fucking. Hickeys. They were just hanging out on his neck like damn trophies or something.

He ran towards the rooftop straight after his conversation with Wakamatsu and slammed the door open to see Satsuki sitting next to a sleeping Aomine.

Not even caring that he was disturbing the other's sleep, he stomped towards the male and grabbed his tie.

"Bastard! Take responsibility!" It would've sounded scary had he not been blushing from ear-to-ear like he was announcing his pregnancy.

Satsuki's eyes were quickly drawn to Kagami's neck, and she immediately gasped, then broke into a fit of giggles. She looked away as Aomine stirred and gave the redhead a mocking grin.

"You _knew_! Why didn't you tell me!?"

"It's funny." The shit-eating grin remained.

"You wanna fight with me, is that it!? Huh!?" He then looked up at Satsuki who was on the floor, laughing so hard that she began crying. "Stop taking pleasure from someone else's pain!"

"Sorry," She chortled. "It's just," Another choke. "So funny."

As if boasting, Aomine looked back at Kagami. "See? She thinks so too."

If it was possible to be any redder than he already was, it would've happened. Embarrassed beyond belief, Kagami roughly let go of Aomine and waited for Satsuki to stop giggling just so he could give her the death glare.

However, when she stood up, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes, Kagami's eyes bulged.

Satsuki's hand went into her bra, making him confused about what the fuck was happening while Aomine yawned and looked like he was about to fall back asleep. Then, she took out a small tube-like object coloured cream.

"I've got a concealer. It might look strange on your skin since you're darker than me but it beats parading those hickeys around, right?"

"Satsuki's got all kinda stuff in her bra, you see?" The blunette laughed as the girl began applying the liquid concealer on the purple patches on Kagami's skin. "One time, she pulled out a damn flashlight from there. It's like Doraemon's pocket."

The redhead glared at his friend for not caring more about his reputation.

Fuck Aomine. Fuck everything that he stood for.

But Satsuki? Bless her heart.

.

The day of the match was finally here. Everyone had a quick meeting before they ventured into the arena. Harasawa and Satsuki lectured everyone about what the guys at Seirin was capable of and as usual, Aomine wasn't listening. His eyes wandered off to Kuroko in the distance as he hoped for a good match.

"Cold feet?" Kagami smirked.

Breaking the stare, Aomine snorted. "As if." He still wasn't sure what was expected of him, being teamed up with Kagami. However, one thing he knew: if their new centre could keep up with him, he'd pass. Out of everyone in the team, he trusted Kagami the most, followed by Sakurai and Imayoshi.

Not like he'd ever admit it, though. He only let Kagami touch the ball because he wanted to take it easier, was all. Sure, the redhead had improved significantly, but he had yet to reach the level where Aomine would feel comfortable relying on him. If things started to look bad for Touou, then he'd just have to revert back to his individualistic playstyle.

As they walked inside, countless people gazed at them. Aomine yawned, and he caught a glimpse of the girl who had been batting her eyelashes at him since yesterday. She was wearing Touou's black and red too. So the girls managed to win their block as well.

"Good luck, Aomine-kun!" She said but Aomine just shrugged. Kagami was far more popular anyway. Not that the redhead noticed it. He looked straight ahead with confident strides, blissfully unaware of the longing stares from the women. The sight of that made Aomine laugh. That bastard had the potential to be such a heartbreaker if he wasn't such a basketball idiot.

Well, he liked Kagami the way he was. Gullible and kind.

The buzzer went off signifying the start of the match. Kagami and Kiyoshi were the ones who fought for the first ball on the middle ring. Touou gained the advantage and they all fell into rhythm.

.

A few minutes into the match and Kagami understood how this team beat Shuutoku. They were like a well-oiled machine, even moreso than before with Kiyoshi on the forefront. The uncrowned king, Satsuki called him. It was true that he was an excellent player who gave Aomine a hard time, but he was not as good as the two miracles that he played against.

Kuroko was a whole different story. He thought he wouldn't fall for the same trick twice, but he was very wrong. The baby-blue-haired boy's presence was so faint, it was difficult to keep track of him. Blink and he disappeared.

He brought the best in everyone with his ridiculous passes that just seemed to land on his teammates' hands. Much like Aomine, his basketball was unorthodox—an art. He now understood what Kuroko meant by him not being suitable to beat the Miracles. What those guys needed was someone who could go toe-to-toe with them, not play from the shadows, no matter how impressive.

Kagami reached for the ball that Aomine let fly in the air. The sight of him jumping always coaxed 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the audiences, but he was impervious to it. Between keeping track of Kuroko and keeping up with Aomine, nothing else mattered.

Just like before, it was difficult to read the ace's movement, but Kagami was slowly getting used to it. He could guess what the guy wanted to do even if it was a hit-and-miss still.

During halftime, Kagami wondered what it would feel like to completely harmonise with Aomine. He wouldn't have to exhaust himself trying to think of what ridiculous, borderline reckless move Aomine would make next. If he could just focus on his own play while understanding full well what Aomine wanted to do, what high could their teamwork achieve? Just thinking about it made him giddy.

When Kagami raised his arm the moment the final buzzer rang, he was met with a grin as Aomine met his palm in a satisfying clap.

He decided that he really liked Aomine.

.

Seirin and Touou ended up sharing evening snack together at Maji. They all happened to meet by chance, but Satsuki was more than happy to stick close to Kuroko. Kagami thought it'd be awkward to hang out with a team they just beat, but it wasn't at all. Kiyoshi filled the silence while Izuki kept cracking jokes that made Wakamatsu wanted to die. Imayoshi and Hyuuga even talked quite a lot, even though the latter looked like he was mildly uncomfortable with the way the Touou's captain seemed to always be plotting world domination.

There was still unresolved tension between Kuroko and Aomine that Kagami didn't want to get involved in, so he mostly tried to distract himself by discussing their next opponent, Kaijo.

"Kise-kun is definitely the most annoying player. I don't know if you've had the chance to observe Kaijo's matches or not, but I suppose Momoi can always give you a rundown of his ability," Said Kuroko as he slurped his vanilla milkshake. "But be vigilant. He's still growing, after all."

"But you said he's never beaten Aomine before." The redhead glanced at the man in topic who was busy balancing a straw between his upper lip and nose. He was leaning back on the chair's two hind legs while rocking it back and forth. He looked so stupid like that that Kagami snorted a bit.

"It doesn't mean he can't. Anyway, please do something about Aomine-kun before he—" _CRASH._ "—falls over."

"Are you stupid!?" Kagami yelled at the overgrown child and helped him up. "Is your head okay? Can't afford to damage it any more, but I guess you can't get any more stup—" That resulted in a headbutt on the jaw.

Satsuki eyed Kuroko while the two idiots started bickering among themselves. "What do you think, Tetsu-kun?"

The boy cracked a soft smile. "I'm glad Kagami-kun came to Touou."

.

At some point, everyone left. Satsuki opted to go off with Kuroko, as per usual and it was just him and Kagami in the train. Aomine glanced at the redhead sitting next to him who had started to nod off, no doubt exhausted from today's match. As the vehicle moved, a blur of orange flashed through the large windowpane behind them.

There was no one else inside except for a couple of schoolgirls and an old lady nearby. No one was paying attention to them.

Comfortable silence stretched until he felt Kagami's head on his shoulder. With a surprised grunt, he turned to see that his company had fallen asleep. His spiky red hair tickled Aomine's cheek and from that position, he could hear Kagami's soft snore. His split eyebrows were even funnier to look at from such close proximity that Aomine couldn't help but brush those red bangs back.

"Mmh..." He stirred but ultimately fell back asleep.

It had almost been two months since Kagami arrived in his life and slowly, he felt himself healing. The voices still insisted on not letting him catch a wink of sleep most nights, but it was getting easier to block them off nowadays. He was sure that with a little bit more time, maybe... maybe it'd all be fine again. Maybe he could finally gather all the broken pieces of himself and start rebuilding his life.

This was the first time he wanted someone to think that he was a good company instead of a pain in the ass. He badly wanted Kagami to consider him as a friend because for Aomine, the redhead was that already.

But he knew this warmth wouldn't last long. Soon, they had to go separate ways and then, it'd be cold again.

Aomine didn't want Kagami to leave.

.

"Kagami-kun, pass!" The voice of a few girls from the basketball team he'd been playing with made him turn his head and do just that. He watched as Akiko, the captain of the girls team scored with a beautiful layup.

Satsuki was watching them play on the sidelines, her legs kicking back and forth as she give out pointers to those who asked for them.

"Uhm, Kagami-kun," A girl from the team, Kino, approached him with a bright smile. "You were so great during the match against Seirin. I wish I could jump as high as you."

"Then I guess you'll have to train." He replied with an equally big smile as he wiped some sweat off with his small towel.

"Kagamin is so popular..." Satsuki hummed. Currently, they were at a street court on a Saturday. It was late afternoon, which meant it was almost time for the girls to take a break for the day.

"I'm not," The boy curled his lips in objection. "Even if I am, I'm not interested in relationships right now."

"Geez, you have to live a little! All you do is basket, basket and basket. It's a good attitude, but you're only young once, you know?" She knew that Kagami had some arrangement with Aomine, but decided to not mention it.

"Yeah, my dad said that too."

"What does your dad do, Kagamin?"

"Uh, hotel," The redhead rubbed the back of his neck. "He owns one, so he's busy all the time."

"I see, so you're quite well-off. That's impressive. And what made you move to Japan? Surely, the basketball scene there is superior."

"A change of scenery, I guess..." Part of it was because of Himuro too, but she didn't have to know that. "Trust me, I didn't wanna come here but I think I needed it too. I was... hm, stagnating. I felt like my basketball wasn't going anywhere."

"Sounds complicated..." Satsuki said quietly, then she put a hand on her friend's back. "But I'm glad you're here."

"Yeah," Kagami grinned. "I'm glad to be here too." There was something soothing about Satsuki's presence. Aomine was right to think of her as a sister because Kagami was starting to feel the same way too. "Oh, right. You're not with Aomine today?"

"He said he was gonna marathon Harry Potter. He even sent me a photo of a bunch of snacks too. Here." She shook her head. At least he wasn't wallowing in his sadness or something. Well, hopefully not.

"Fuck, that's a lot," The redhead laughed when he saw three family-sized packets of potato chips, two jars of dips, two blocks of chocolates, three tubs of chocolate ice cream and a 2L bottle of soda. "How does he even maintain his muscles, eating a bunch of shit like that?"

The smile on Satsuki's face faded away as she sighed and put away her phone. "I told you that he has trouble sleeping, right? Well, I think he uses the time he's awake to work out at home."

The mention of that made Kagami pensive too. "Aomine..." He gulped. "He is having some... issues, isn't he?" At the silence, he turned towards Satsuki. "I found that piece of paper in his jacket pocket. The one you wrote."

That coaxed a sad nod from the girl as she continued watching the practice match in front of her. "It's been going on for a while. You see, he sleeps at school because it's the only time he's not left alone with his thoughts."

"Can't he put some videos or music?"

She shook her head. "It doesn't work that way, unfortunately. I suppose there's a difference between artificial and organic noise," An idea seemed to pop in her head. "Maybe you should try sleeping with him, Kagamin!"

"Huh!?"

"He used to come over a lot, you know," She giggled. "Whenever he couldn't sleep, he'd ask if he can sleep with me. At some point, he stopped, maybe because he thinks that it's awkward since we're practically siblings. So, maybe if it's you..."

"I don't think I'm good enough."

"Eh?"

"Uh..." Kagami scratched his cheek nervously. "The day before the first match of interhigh, he slept over. But when I woke up in the early morning, he still wasn't asleep."

"But that Dai-chan and this Dai-chan is different," Satsuki pushed towards Kagami and bumped her shoulder against his upper arm. "I think playing together has made you two closer. Trust me on this."

After that, the girls started to come to them again for a feedback on their performance. The evening passed by in a blink of an eye and when they realised it, the moon had started to rise.

"Oh, Kagamin?" Satsuki called out and paced towards him before he could leave. She grabbed his hand and put a cold metallic object in his palm, then eased his fingers to curl around it. "Think about it, okay?"

When Satsuki left, he opened his fingers to see a key.

Must be Aomine's spare. They must be that close for her to have this. Still, he didn't know how to feel about barging in uninvited, so he walked home while staring at the object. He might or might not have ran a red light and almost got hit by a car because of how intently he glared at it, but he made it to his apartment safe and sound eventually.

Kagami took a refreshing shower and started dinner. The menu was grilled smelt, agedashi tofu and some cabbage salad. As he mindlessly prepped all the necessary ingredient, the thought of Aomine snacking away on his garbage food played at the back of his mind.

So, the moment he finished chopping the cabbage, he sighed and stuffed them all in airtight containers, packed them in a bag and made a beeline to the asshole's home—address courtesy of Satsuki, of course.

Here he stood in front of a two-storey house with a small, unused garage and a barren front garden. He fished the key out of his pocket. The lock made a _click_ as he turned it. It was dark inside. The only reason why Kagami knew that Aomine was home was because of the loud noise playing from the TV, followed by some crunching of chips packet.

Kagami gently closed the door, took off his shoes and walked towards the living room where he could see lights flashing against the wall and a huge, fluffy blanket covering a figure. A hand stretched out to grab a piece of chocolate and disappeared back inside.

"G' away, Sats'ki." Aomine mumbled, but there was something off about his voice.

It was an absolute mess in front of the TV. Crumbs were everywhere and a dipping sauce had been toppled over but not cleaned.

"Aomine." He started.

There was a long pause. Then, the figure shifted over and the fabric closed in on itself.

"Aomine, are you okay?" With tentative strides, Kagami crouched next to the blanket only for it to move away. The movie was loud in the background, but it was ignored by both men. "Hey. Look at me."

"Go away."

"No."

It was obvious that this guy was anything but okay, but it didn't look like he was going to open up any time soon. With a sigh, Kagami wrestled Aomine onto the ground and forced open the blanket.

"Shit," He croaked the moment he saw the bloodshot eyes and red nose. "Have you been crying?"

"S-shut up. H-Harry Potter is sad, okay?"

Somehow, Kagami didn't think that was the reason. Without any more word, he put his arms around Aomine and tucked the blunette's head into his chest. "Satsuki sent me here. She thought you might need company."

Instead of answering, Aomine sniffed and buried his head deeper into Kagami, dirty fingers clenching on his shirt.

For a long while, no one said anything. The redhead allowed his friend to calm himself down while he kept running his fingers through those deceptively soft blue spikes. He had never seen Aomine like this before and he wondered what the cause was.

"This sucks," Aomine sucked in a breath. "You don't have to stick around. I'm a fucking mess," Despite that, he kept clinging onto the shorter male. "Seriously. Don't feel responsible for me. I'll be fine."

"I don't believe that. Besides, what makes you think that I feel responsible?"

"'Cause you're supposed to be working with me," He sniffled again. "This won't affect our teamwork or whatever, so it's fine. You don't have to baby me, considering you don't even like me, to begin with."

That made Kagami grab Aomine's shoulders and put a distance between them just so he could look at him better. "...The fuck? Who said that?"

"Huh?" The taller one looked genuinely confused.

"Like I said, who said that I don't like you?"

"...But why would you?" He stuttered. "I mean, all I do is get in your space, talk shit about you and—"

"I don't mind that." Stated Kagami firmly.

"What?"

"Sure, you're kind of an ass at school and sometimes off it, but I know that's not all there is to you. You can be really... ugh, really..." _cute._ "...Nice. So, no, I don't not like you. I'm not doing this because I think it's gonna affect your basket, but I'm doing this because I want to," He bit his lower lip nervously. "...I'm your friend... right?"

No answer meant good news. Hopefully.

"So it's okay for you to rely on me."

There was still no response. With a sigh, Kagami peeled himself away from Aomine only for him to not let go.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm just gonna cook some dinner, okay? You stay put." That was enough for Aomine's fingers to unclench off his shirt.

.

It started after the match with Seirin. More precisely after he came back to his empty home. He was so used to Kagami's boisterous presence, this place felt more dead than it was before. After taking a shower, he immediately curled in his bed but as expected, he wasn't able to sleep.

He tried everything to tired himself out—exercise, gaming, watching TV, but it didn't work. Sleeping pills were out of the question too, considering if he took too much, it would inevitably lose its effectiveness. In the end, he managed to get an hour before the sun was up.

He so badly wanted to call Kagami, but he wasn't sure where he placed in the redhead's life, so he kept quiet.

It was _so_ fucking lonely. Aomine was cold and he needed the warmth that Kagami's smile generated. But he had no right to demand that from someone who didn't want his company.

In his mind, Kagami only spent time with him out of obligation. Now that it was the weekend, he had no reason to. So, he decided to binge his sad away. Last time, he did a marathon of Star wars. It took twenty-five hours and he got through it just fine, so it was Harry Potter's turn. Twenty hours sounded like a solid distraction. Next time, he might do Lord of The Rings or something.

All his snacks were ready and he texted Satsuki to stay away just in case she wanted to pay him a visit.

And he was glad he did that because it had been a good few months since he last cried and he wanted to let it out before their match against Kaijo. Hopefully, it'd stop him from wanting to see Kagami.

It worked for a few hours. Everything was perfect. Sure, he still had tears streaming down his face and it was a mighty pathetic sight, but it wasn't like anyone was there to see it. The three flavours of chips and two blocks of chocolate drowned out his ghosts for the time being.

The fifth instalment in the series was just beginning when the front door was unlocked. Rolling his eyes, Aomine didn't even bother wiping his tears. One word from him and Satsuki would know that he had been crying anyway.

But it wasn't her who entered. It was _him._

Aomine didn't want Kagami to see him on his weakest, so in a last-ditch attempt to save face, he tried his hardest to not look at him. Of course, it didn't go his way. The redhead had always been too persistent for his own good and that was exactly how he wormed his presence into Aomine's sorry life.

Now, he sat there with Harry Potter still playing in the background. Everything that Kagami said slowly sunk in. 

Friends. Kagami thought of him as a friend. Kagami didn't hate him.

But why? He hadn't done anything but inconvenience the other male. Aomine didn't understand it at all. It must just be lip service, right? But Kagami wasn't the type to sugarcoat anything...

Suddenly, the living room light flickered and for a moment, the brightness blinded him. When he turned around, Kagami was there with a gentle smile and Aomine realised that the place smelt so damn good.

"Let's eat some real food."

Obediently, he walked towards the dining room to see ten pieces of grilled smelt, two bowls of miso soup, some agedashi tofu, a _lot_ of white rice and some cabbage salad. It was a whole damn feast that got Aomine salivating.

He practically stuffed his face with the homemade food. Kagami's cooking never failed to make him smile, not only due to its taste but also its warmth. He didn't know how much he ate until he saw that half the dish was already finished but Kagami hadn't touched his portion. Instead, he only sat there with a smile.

Only when Aomine put down his chopsticks that the redhead began eating.

"You can come over whenever you want. My door's always open." He said between his bites.

It was answered with a hesitant nod. Aomine still refused to look at Kagami and instead, opted to twiddle with his thumbs.

"And if you don't feel like going out, just call me. I'll keep you company until you sleep, or I can come over if you need me."

Another nod.

His heart was heavy. There was something blooming inside, something like hope, or perhaps happiness? Whatever it was, it clogged his throat.

"You're not alone. Satsuki is there for you and so am I."

"Yeah," He choked out. Not alone. He wasn't alone. When exactly did that happen? "Yeah. Okay."

Aomine finally dared himself to look up and the sight that awaited him was Kagami's radiant smile and a pair of sincere hazel eyes that chased away all the negativity.

Whatever that feeling was that metastasised inside him, it made him feel full. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also I haven't forgotten about the mess with Himuro and Kagami dw it'll be addressed eventually <3


	8. Never Alone

Aomine never thought the day would come that he'd have a quiet, mundane conversation with someone else in the tub that was filled with warm water.

He kinda wanted to die in embarrassment but at the same time, he had to admit that it was nice.

Kagami sat on the opposite side of the Japanese cube tub built in the bathroom, covered with grey and blue tiles. He was positioned on the left corner while Aomine on the right. Their hairs were covered with shampoo and on the water, three miniature basketball rubber toys floated without a care in the world.

"...And then I put a frog on her head and she started crying. Not sobbing, but full on bawling on the street and fuck, I felt like shit!" Aomine laughed as he retold one of his childhood memories.

"You're so damn tactless, you know that?" The redhead grinned while massaging the shampoo into his scalp.

"C'mon, as if you haven't made anyone cry in your life."

In response, Kagami shrugged with a chuckle. "Satsuki's a nice girl."

"Yeah," The dark-skinned male nodded, then snapped his head up to look at Kagami. "Shit, are you crushing on her?"

"No!" The answer was immediate.

"Okay, good." He scowled before dumping a bath scoop full of water on his head.

"You're really protective of her. I think it's kinda cute," Kagami smiled and interrupted before Aomine could yell at him. "Why aren't you together?"

"Told you she's like a sister." The ace rolled his eyes. Dating Satsuki had never even crossed his mind and he doubted it'd happen now.

There was a soft thoughtful hum. "Then, what kind of girl do you like?"

"Er," He narrowed his eyes. "Big boobs?"

Kagami splattered some water on his friend's face. "Pervert. Superficial. Asshole."

"Oi! Boobs are justice!"

"Boobs are just lumps of fat."

"They are _not_. Boobs are what dreams are made of. I will literally fight you," That statement coaxed amused scoff from Kagami who only shook his head in response. "You like 'em flat?"

"...I guess," That was a euphemism for 'hello, I'm Kagami and I'm gay'. "Though I can appreciate a healthy size too." A euphemism for 'man boobs is just as nice'.

"Huh. I'd never have guessed," Another comfortable silence stretched on as they cleaned off all trace of shampoo from their hair. There was a question that had been bugging Aomine, though. It was their first meeting and how Kagami immediately wanted to suck his dick. He supposed this was a good time to ask about it. "...So, do you have sex often?"

"Kind of," Was the response that for some reason, annoyed him. "I lived in America, in case you forgot. Everyone's much more open to sex over there. It's kind of a common topic of discussion at school, I guess."

"Guys or girls?"

Kagami didn't answer immediately. Instead, his eyes flicked towards Aomine as if searching for something. Then, he sighed and looked away. "Guys. They don't get pregnant even if the condom breaks."

Nothing else was said until they had drained the tub, dried themselves, got dressed and sat back in front of the TV. The floor was now clean, thanks to Kagami.

"Do you still have sex now? With other guys, I mean." Aomine muttered as he pressed resume on the DVD controller. Kagami now sat on the sofa while he was content to be on the floor with his pillow fort. Harry potter began playing again, but Kagami still hadn't answered. Annoyed at the quietness, he turned back towards the redhead who looked surprised.

"...Are you jealous...?"

Silence.

"Of course not!!! Who do you think I am!?" As if to emphasise his point, he threw a pillow at Kagami who caught it with a laugh. "I just want to know if I should get tested for STD or not. Fuck."

"Yeah, whatever, you sap. I'm too busy dealing with an arrogant asshole to be sleeping around," Kagami hugged the soft cushion and lied down on the double sofa. "And you?"

There was this strange sense of relief inside Aomine when Kagami said that. However, his next question took him by surprise.

"Aomine?" He continued at the uncharacteristic silence. A few seconds passed with nothing but Aomine burying his head into his knees. Jerking up, Kagami grabbed the other's shoulder. "...Holy crap. Were you a virgin?"

"...Shut up."

"Oh my god," Kagami wanted to laugh but ended up blushing. That time when they first met, Aomine looked so confident and cocky, Kagami thought for _sure_ he was the school's fuckboy or something. "You have a fucking gap. Aomine has a damn gap moe. I can't."

"I have a knife in the kitchen and I'm not afraid to use it."

"What a _world_ I live in." Kagami leaned down and wrapped his arms around the other male while giggling into his neck.

The two bantered for a while longer, but soon, they became absorbed in the movie. At some point, Aomine took out a tub of cookies and cream ice cream that they destroyed by the time the sixth movie started. Kagami was now sitting next to his friend on the pillow fort covered with a dark blue blanket, bodies bumping against each other. When Aomine rested his head on Kagami's shoulder as he chewed on some potato chips, the redhead ended up idly stroking the blunette's soft hair.

As they continued watching, Kagami muttered. "Can we watch Lord of The Rings next week?"

Aomine hummed in agreement.

.

That night and the one after, they slept on the same bed. Aomine's was slightly smaller than Kagami's which meant that there was not much breathing room. Both discovered that they didn't really care. Their limbs tangled around each other and Aomine's head tucked under Kagami's jaw. He could feel the rise and fall of the redhead's chest and smell his comforting earthy scent.

As Kagami talked about his life in America—about his classmates, Alex and Himuro, with that cheerful and warm voice of his, the blunette drifted off to a peaceful, undisturbed sleep.

.

The semi-final was here at last. The winner for the other block had been decided, and expectedly enough, Rakuzan emerged victoriously. They didn't even break a sweat as they pummelled Onita highschool to the ground. The first-year captain, Akashi was a true leader who rallied all his teammates and forced out only the best out of them.

Even though they worked as a team, it felt strangely individualistic. He was not, by any mean, a kind ruler. Akashi was more of a tyrant than anything, but that wasn't a surprise. In their own ways, all members of Generation of Miracles, excluding Kuroko, were individualistic.

Kagami knew of their cockiness but didn't let it affect him. After all, he had the cockiest of the bunch in his team. Like now, for example. Instead of listening to Satsuki explaining what the Kaijo members were capable of, he was nodding off.

Kagami elbowed his friend who had five hours of sleep last night. "We're about to start, asshole. Stop sleeping."

"Eurgh..."

"Don't _eurgh_ me!"

"Eeeurgh..." Aomine groaned louder, making Kagami shake his shoulders violently. The rest of Touou only shook their heads at their aces', admittedly, entertaining dynamic. The hardworker and the lazyass.

"They're looking good today. I think we can expect some great teamwork." Imayoshi chuckled as he adjusted his glasses.

"I wonder if something happened..." Sakurai tilted his head. When everyone stared at him, he jumped. "Sorry! I meant... uh, they look closer?"

"Can't tell," Wakamatsu rolled his eyes before slapping his knees and standing up. "C'mon, lovebirds, it's time to play!"

But the 'lovebirds' weren't listening. Not until Satsuki slapped the back of their heads and kicked them into the court.

"Not taking this seriously. I'm hurt, Aominecchi~" Kise hummed in that singsong tone of his despite his sharp blue eyes that screamed 'I'm going to win this time'.

As if sensing the fighting spirit, the bluehead smirked before shoving Kagami towards the centre ring for the first toss. "Yeah, sure. If you can get past this blockhead."

"Who's the blockhead, asshole!?" The one insulted fought back but decided not to make to much drama since the match was going to start. He swore Aomine riled him up more than the opposing team ever could. 

From Satsuki's data, he gathered that Kise was a master at copying abilities, no matter how difficult it was. And from Aomine, he said that while it was a powerful ability, it was only as good as the man who was using it. In short, Kise wouldn't be able to last long if he tried to copy Kagami's insane jumps since his body was trained differently.

"So I just gotta jump, right!?" As he soared past Kaijo's number 8, Kagami let out a battle cry. He got the first ball and immediately, he dashed towards the ring. There were already blockers ready to stop him, but he wasted no time warming up. He'd been itching to play since yesterday, so hell yeah he was going to give his best from the get-go.

The first point went to Touou thanks to Kagami's flashy dunk that threatened to rip off the basket.

"Keep doing that and I won't have to play." Instead of being annoyed, Aomine only grinned. Yep, Kagami was in a good shape and he was pretty chuffed. No hesitation like the one he showed during the match against Yosen.

"Don't be a deadweight, lazyass." The redhead scowled when Touou's ace yawned.

But Kise wasn't making it easy. That guy was on his tiptop shape, constantly returning an eye for an eye with the same move that got Kagami's blood pumping. The guy made everything look so effortless and easy, it was kinda annoying. However, he had a feeling that this was still an early-game Kise who had yet to take things seriously.

And he would be damn right because as the clock ticked on, his movement became more and more polished—his copy ramping up a notch until no flaw could be seen.

"He's good," Kagami muttered at the end of the first quarter. They were practically in a stalemate right now, but he knew that if this kept up, they'd be the ones at a disadvantage. With a grumble, Kagami slapped Aomine's shoulder. "You bastard! You haven't touched the ball even once!"

"Eeh, but I can't be bothered. Besides, you're not doing horribly, so why should I jump in?" The dark-skinned male poked a finger in his ear.

"It's not a matter of me 'not doing horribly'!" Kagami screamed into Aomine's ear, but the other male only clicked his tongue in response. "Anyway, I'm passing to you, so get ready!"

Seeing the sight made Satsuki giggle and Wakamatsu annoyed. The girl patted Kagami's shoulder with a smile. "Now, now, Kagamin. Dai-chan just wants you to play one-on-one against Ki-chan so you can learn why he is a man to be feared," Then she winked at Aomine. "And he wants you to improve while you're at it. He's just looking out for you in his own quirky way."

"Satsuki!" The ace growled at the bull's eye, then turned away from Kagami's sparkly eyes and pink cheeks that showed bottomless appreciation.

"Aomine... you really are a nice guy..."

"Yeah," He gave Kagami a thumb's up. "So don't pass the ball to me and let me rest."

"Oka—Wait. NO!" The commotion at Touou's bench between their two aces was becoming a common occurrence nowadays that the audiences just laughed it off. If anything, they seemed to look forward to their nonsensical bickering.

As they entered the court for the second quarter, Aomine paced alongside Kagami and muttered. "You remember how you stole the ball off me, like a grand total of twice?"

The most amazing two times in his life, so hell yeah he remembered. He nodded even though he was a little pissed at the condescending tone.

"Don't forget it, 'kay?"

"Heh, can't even if I tried." Seeing the playful smirk on Aomine's lips made him think that a plan was being concocted. Last time Aomine asked him to do something, he ended up passing the ball. What was he gonna do now?

"So you're going to play, Aominecchi?" Kise's smile was anything but friendly. If anything, he was radiating an aura of 'finally'. "Kagami's pretty good... but I'm getting bored."

"I know what you mean."

"Oi!" Kagami wanted to punch the number 5 but this was hardly the time and place for it.

"But blink and you'll lose. He's gonna be my rival one day, after all."

"Oh?" The blond smirked, but there was a hint of joy in his eyes.

"Stop talking and play!" Kasamatsu screamed from somewhere behind him.

And play they did. Aomine was quick to ease into his hypnotic playstyle that Kagami had begun to understand. It wasn't as difficult to keep up with his seemingly sporadic movement anymore because there was something familiar about it. What it was, Kagami wasn't sure.

So, as the game went on, he watched the two Miracles dancing around the court. Kise's copy was downright mesmerising too, considering Kagami got the case of goosebumps as if he was watching the real Aomine's game. He was pretty sure the entire court and audience couldn't tear their eyes off them.

The score was still even. When one scored, the other would too. There were only a handful of times that the others would touch the ball and score, and while it frustrated Kagami, he had to admit that watching was learning.

He was getting more and more acquaintanced with Aomine's style—his movements, electric presence and what each sway of the body meant. His fingers twitched when Kise broke past him the way Aomine would.

Kagami could feel it. He was _reacting_.

That look was rewarded with a smirk from Aomine as the buzzer signifying the end of the quarter went off. The blue-haired male tapped his fellow ace and nodded. "You're getting it?"

"Yeah," Kagami stared at his hands. "I can see it," He then turned towards Aomine with a pair of confused eyes. "It's so weird when you're being helpful."

With a drawn-out eyeroll, Aomine headed towards the bench while muttering, "Don't get me wrong. I just wanna play a somewhat even game with someone. So get better already, Bakagami."

"You big fucking sap!" The redhead laughed as he paced towards Aomine.

.

It turned out that Satsuki was not a perfect woman.

Unthinkable! Kagami thought that she had it all. The brains, the pretty face, the comforting presence. However, it turned out that she could not cook to save her life.

The redhead was grateful that he prepared two containers full of honeyed lemon this morning for him and Aomine, because that spared him the grief. In the corner, they chewed away on the refreshing bites while thining 'better them than me'. No wonder the blunette insisted on wanting only Kagami's honeyed lemons.

"Aah! Wakamatsu, don't eat all of them!" Susa's voice rang in the background as they all fought for Sakurai's homemade one.

The cacophony went ignored by the two aces.

"Gotcha." Said Kagami, no context needed.

"Yeah." Aomine replied just as cryptically.

.

The third quarter wasn't that different from the second. Kise still wasn't running out of stamina which was damn impressive, but after a few exchanges of words with Aomine, he looked extremely bothered. Kagami wondered why it was, but it probably was just his teammate being a smug asshole as usual.

However, on the back of his head, something was telling him that this wasn't all there was to Kise. For some reason, the blond was holding back and as did Aomine. There must be some history between them.

The score was 75-75 when Kise ran past Kagami and the redhead's fingers scraping against the ball enough to make it wobble, but not for it to lose its trajectory.

Kise noticed it, and his eyes widened. Thinking that it was only a dumb coincidence, he didn't pay any mind to it. However, it happened again the second, the third and fourth time.

"...You're reading me." Kise finally said after he scored another goal that brought the score up to 83. After wiping the sweat off his face using his jersey, he turned towards Kagami with sharp eyes.

"He's not." The blunette smirked as he cracked his neck left and right.

Kagami didn't understand what Aomine meant at the time, but during the last quarter, an epiphany dawned.

Aomine wasn't a man who relied in textbook techniques like Midorima, and his tendency to hog the ball made him that much more straightforward to read. Perhaps this wasn't the case for most people, but it certainly was for Kagami. His hazel eyes darted across the court as he observed the ace's fluid movement.

Minutes ticked on and the two Miracle members were content on exchanging jab after jab. Points were exchanged but the stalemate persisted. It was not until Kagami suddenly stood face-to-face with Kise once more that time seemed to stop being in slow motion.

The blond was hunched over and every inch of him smelt like Aomine.

Yes, Aomine and his basket style that was very close to Kagami's.

Instinct.

That was all there was behind such a magnetic style. And it just so happened that it was the fuel that kept Kagami going too. However, whereas his was more restricted and contained, Aomine's was free.

So, to catch up to the ace, he just needed to let go.

_Aomine, playing with you is a lot of fun._

Everything around him blurred as he zoned in on the object in Kise's hand. To let go meant that there was no need to think.

Kagami shut out all unnecessary thoughts and for a moment, it was like he could hear his own breathing. His hand reflexively moved forward, but everything seemed so slow like someone hit the half-speed button on the remote control.

He could see everything clearly now.

_I want to catch up to you soon._

_I want to get stronger not only for me but so I can pull you out of that hole as well._

_So just wait a bit longer._

.

The crowd's roar was deafening around the few Seirin members who were practically holding their breaths. They thought something was amiss when Kagami suddenly could match Aomine's speed and movement. He was always there one step behind the ace, always standing at the ready for the pass that had yet to come.

The only ones standing there were Hyuuga, Teppei, Riko and Kuroko. The rest were back at school, practising since their interhigh journey for the year had ended.

"The score isn't budging, but at the same time, it's almost like Aomine's not going all out." Hyuuga remarked thoughtfully before they all turned towards Kuroko whose hands were lightly gripping the metal railing.

"Kise-kun is an amazing player with room to grow, but he has never once beaten Aomine-kun. Aomine-kun knows the reason, and that's why I think he is just toying with Kise-kun at the moment, all because he understands that Kise-kun can't beat him at the state he's in right now."

"Wait, so he's holding back intentionally? For what purpose?" Riko frowned.

"Kagami," Kiyoshi said and it was reaffirmed by a nod from Kuroko. "He wants to use this opportunity to hasten Kagami's improvement."

As if on cue, gasp of surprise echoed in the stadium. On the court, Kagami had stolen Kise's ball from right under his nose, and at a high speed, he ran for the opposite ring.

He scored and the crowd cheered.

Kuroko's eyes widened.

.

This was it, Aomine thought with a feral grin on his face. While the entire court froze over like they'd just seen a ghost, Aomine watched as Kagami turned around with static in his eyes.

"Kahaha! That's it... that's it!" The blunette laughed and stretched his fist towards Kagami. "You're really the best, Kagami!"

The redhead said nothing except meet his knuckles, and when they both turned around, red and blue static frazzled the air around them.

"No way..." Wakamatsu's eyes widened and so did Imayoshi's.

"He's in the zone? _Both_ of them?" The captain muttered in shock before his signature grimace returned. "This game is as good as ours."

Kise stared at the two aces with a dumbfounded look. "Don't tell me... You were waiting for this, Aominecchi?"

"You're not going to win against me with that halfhearted resolve, Kise. And now, we're going to teach you a lesson about bowing your head when you really should've held it up high." Because if there was one thing that Kagami never did, it was looking back—at least not for long. The redhead _always_ set his eyes forward no matter how high of a hurdle he encountered. Yeah, he might tumble the way he did with Himuro, but he always got back up.

The way Kise looked up at Aomine only meant that he had no chance of surpassing him. This was the reason why Aomine wasn't worried about his old teammate.

When the game resumed, two thunderous presence cut through the court. They danced together, synchronising with each other without the need of communication. It was like seeing two zigzagging bolts of lightning that converged into one.

Points were stolen one after another, and no one was sure who scored which basket.

Kagami felt liberated. He was free to do whatever he pleased with Aomine supporting him. He didn't have to spare even a split second of glancing to see that the ace was there right next to him. Kagami played _his_ basketball that relied wholly on instinct instead of logic, and it just so happened that it was the exact same way Aomine played.

Had it not been for Kagami igniting his bones, Aomine wouldn't have been able to reach for the zone at that moment. Kise was playing at half-strength, albeit without the guy knowing, so the game wasn't as fun as it could've been. Seeing this tiger waking up, however, was a whole different story. Aomine felt Kagami's searing hot presence next to him, moving and thinking the same way he would.

So there was no need for words. They were content on letting their animalistic instinct take over. At that moment, the only ones that existed on the court were each other.

Seeing Kagami's intense laser focus made Aomine feel like, 'this is it'. After waiting and waiting for the rival he thought would never come, he desperately clung to Kagami in hope that he'd shine. And he didn't disappoint. His light was brighter than ever and his red flame rivalled the blue. Together, they burned.

"Holy crap." Was Wakamatsu's only comment as both aces dashed past him at an incredible speed.

"None of us could've seen this coming," Imayoshi chuckled sinisterly. "They're really going to be the deadliest duo if this keeps up."

The game ended with an overwhelming victory for Touou.

When the final buzzer echoed, Kagami clasped Aomine's hand mid-air in a hard-hitting high-five.

.

Satsuki had no words but her smile expressed all there was to know. Even Harasawa sat there, mouth slightly agape seconds after the match ended. When the coach turned towards her, she nodded.

She'd seen it coming. She knew that Kagami would be able to reach the zone eventually, considering his love for basketball. The redhead strongly reminded her of Aomine a few years ago when this sport was the only thing in his mind, but she didn't know the day was going to come so soon.

When she saw what Aomine was doing on the court, she thought that he only wanted to train Kagami up against a strong opponent, but could it be that Aomine's true goal was to plunge Kagami into the zone? Somehow, she doubted that the blunette would think that far ahead even though that theory wasn't entirely impossible. After all, if there was anyone who knew zone the best, it'd be him.

She was giddy with excitement and unasked questions, but she quickly buried it. Those could wait until after they reached the locker room. However, she couldn't help but wonder what happened yesterday. Obviously, Kagami came over as per her suggestion, but what did they talk about that truly gelled them together like that?

"That settles it," Satsuki smiled with her eyes closed. "From now on, they're a package deal."

"Yes. This is... a pleasant surprise. Momoi, I trust you to keep working on Kagami's training regiment so he can more easily keep up with Aomine. That seems to be the key to this." The coach even shared the smile.

"Of course, coach." She stood up and passed two water bottles at the aces who definitely pulled their weight. They both took it from her and shot her a smile that warmed her heart before they sat down.

"What on earth happened there?" With his heart still pounding, Kagami laughed. The adrenaline was still coursing through him and he felt so high, so untouchable like nothing could pull him down.

"It's called not being a liability. You should try it more often."

"Fuck off." He jabbed Aomine on the side playfully but swallowed thickly when he saw the heated gaze that he was given in exchange. It sent a shiver down his spine. He knew what that face was—Aomine was going to fuck him so hard he'd feel it for a whole three days.

Boy, Kagami wanted it so bad. Being in the zone together with Aomine was surreal like their bodies were tangling with each other and becoming one. It was like a lucid dream—an experience so surreal, he felt himself ascending. Even now, he was still riding his high.

And the rest of Touou knew it too because they pretended to not see anything even as their aces undressed each other with their eyes. If there was any doubt about them sleeping together, that just vanquished all. Not like there was anything inherently _wrong_ with that, but everyone wished that they'd just keep that when no one was looking.

Wakamatsu was probably the one most surprised out of the bunch, though. Sure, he had speculations from when he saw Kagami's hickeys, but to think Aomine was interested in anyone that wasn't himself... besides, the guy was a boob-freak! Wakamatsu remembered clearly when he saw what was inside the ace's locker. Just stacks of Mai-chan's mags.

Satsuki, bless her heart, was the only one daring enough to interrupt their eyesex session by practically dragging them off the bench and outside so they could cool down.

After a ten minutes post-game ritual, everyone went into the locker room for a debriefing session.

Those measly ten minutes didn't stop the two, however. Kagami and Aomine kept staring at each hungrily, constantly licking their lips and tapping their feet rapidly against the floor like they couldn't wait to jump each other.

"Toilet." Kagami said as he stood up, still refusing to break eyecontact.

"Me too." Aomine immediately followed, and no one dared to stop them in fear of being burned alive.

"...Anyway," Their manager shrugged and then let out a mischievous grin. "Who's betting on them getting together by the end of the year?"

Almost everyone raised their hands. Everyone except Satsuki.

There was no way in hell those two stubborn idiots would ever admit that they had romantic feelings for each other, so as far as she was concerned, she just made the big bucks.

.

The moment they reached the toilet, Aomine shoved Kagami into the nearest toilet stall and slammed the door closed. His lips immediately went for the redhead's ear where he tugged it with his teeth, breathing heavily into it, all while they undressed each other with desperation.

Their bodies were covered in sweat, but they didn't care. Their jerseys were carelessly flung above partition wall and Aomine's lips glided lower until they latched onto Kagami's neck where he sucked on the salty skin.

Kagami let out a loud moan at the hotness of the other's tongue, and they both hissed the moment their bare cocks rubbed against each other.

"I'm gonna fuck you into tomorrow." The blunette groaned as he wrapped his long, dark fingers around their hardened members and began pumping in a way that got their breaths hitching.

"Shit," Kagami breathed out, the top of his head now resting on Aomine's hard chest. "If you keep that up, I'm gonna cum first."

With a triumphant smirk, the taller male stroked their cocks even faster and gripping even tighter. "No one said you can only cum once. Cum as much as you want to."

That was rewarded with a loud sigh as the redhead rocked their hips together, both of his arms curling around Aomine's back. 

"Aominecchi! Kagamicchi! You're too loud!"

"Fuck off, Kise!" Both of them screamed out at the same time. Looked like the blond got the memo because the toilet became quiet once more, save for their moans that deterred everyone from entering.

"Shit! Argh..." The redhead shot thick ropes of cum the moment a finger squeezed itself inside his wanting hole. "Lube... We don't have lube..."

A tub of vaseline rolled under the partition wall.

"Please try to be quieter or they will call the security." It was a familiar, flat voice of a mutual friend.

"You're the best, Tetsu," He grabbed the object and yanked open the cap, then grabbed a generous amount of it. "Turn around, Tiger."

Kagami was more than happy to obey. The redhead braced himself, both hands on the wall and he moaned wantonly when Aomine slapped his right buttcheek. The blunette then ran his hot tongue over Kagami's nape and bit down on it as he thrust three fingers into that lewd hole already begging for his cock.

"Fuck me. Quick." As he turned around to reveal teary hazel eyes and flushed cheek, Kagami begged.

"That's a good look on you." Not the one to back off from a challenge, Aomine pressed the tip of his dick against his teammate's puckered hole, then he slowly pushed in. When he was sheathed, he pulsed a few times experimentally only to be rewarded with lustful moans begging for more. So, he pulled back and slammed into Kagami.

"Daiki!" The redhead sputtered out, his eyes rolling to the back of his skull at the sensation.

The use of his first name made Aomine's heart pound loudly. Pressing his chest flush against Kagami's back, he continued pounding the redhead's ass. Sound of flesh slapping against each other was loud. "Say it again," Aomine whispered hotly while playing with the other's nipples. "Cry my name out again."

"Fuck, Daiki. Daiki. Daiki!" Every thrust only made Kagami chant his name like it was a mantra. "Daiki, oh my god. Daiki. Faster. Faster. Harder. _Please_." 

Who was Aomine to refuse such sweet pleads? Obediently, he plowed Kagami's ass, constantly hitting his sweet spots and making him see stars. "You're so damn hot." He hissed as his cock kept getting clenched by the redhead's tightness. Two fingers now plunging into Kagami's mouth, his other hand moved down to pump the throbbing erection.

Kagami sucked on Aomine's digits. His tongue rolling between and around them, but that didn't make him any quieter. Their moans bounced off the four walls, but one particular animalistic hiss took over. Aomine blew his load inside Kagami who in turn, came into the toilet. Both men rode their high together, breathing heavy and jagged, but definitely satisfied.

It took everything in their power to not go for a second round and instead, peeled their bodies away from the other. 

"Hah," The redhead panted as Aomine grabbed a lot of toilet paper to clean themselves with. "God, you went hard."

"You asked for it," The blunette immediately put a finger inside Kagami's tender hole to scrape out most of the cum before they had any chance to dry. Once they were relatively clean, they took their time to catch their breaths while putting their jerseys back on. "But seriously. That wasn't a bad effort, Kagami."

"Thanks to you," The redhead gave Aomine a pleased side smirk that _almost_ made his cock spring back up. Thank god for Kagami opening the stall and walking out while patting his shirt tidy. "C'mon, everyone's waiting for us."

The dark-skinned male hummed in response as they walked side by side out of the toilet.

Aomine gave Kagami's buttcheek a firm squeeze and whispered, "Let's do it again at your place."

There was no blatant refusal from Kagami's side.

.

Thinking back to it, they probably shouldn't have fucked like rabbits all night yesterday because today was the long-awaited Touou vs Rakuzan match. Their backs kinda hurt and Kagami was limping, so they ended up doing more stretches than necessary, but no one dared to ask them why because they already knew the reason. 

"There is a time and place for everything," Kuroko commented flatly as the two helped each other stretch. His friends jumped at his sudden presence. "You can keep the vaseline, by the way. I don't want it anymore."

"Kuroko, stop doing that!" Kagami was the first to respond with his face steaming red at yesterday's memory. They accidentally announced their relationship, didn't they?

"Are you two dating?" Was the question that came out of the boy's lips.

"'Course not. Do I look like the relationship kinda guy to you?" Aomine rolled his eyes while he cracked his joints.

"C'mon, Kuroko, don't joke around. No one wanna date this asshole." Replied Kagami almost simultaneously.

"No-string-attached. How vulgar." He commented flatly just in time for Kise and Midorima to arrive.

"My poor virgin ears are scarred forever! You two need to take responsibility!" The blond who attracted the attention of countless girls wailed dramatically.

"It's common sense to not have intercourse in a public bathroom... it's a miracle that you two were not apprehended." The bespectacled one shook his head. In his hand was a frog purse.

"Losers should shut up and go back to school. Let the big boys play, okay?" The dark-skinned male put both his hands on Kagami's back and pushed him towards the entrance, red-faced.

...Only to bump into Murasakibara and next to him, Himuro.

There was a long silence as the sworn brothers stared at each other, neither one saying a thing. The awkward pause was only made non-dramatic thanks to Murasakibara munching away on his potato chips. It wasn't until Aomine nudged Kagami on the side with his elbow that the two reacted.

"Uhm!" Both of them said simultaneously, then they snorted. A smile was a far better start than anyone could have ever imagined. Kagami was the first to break the silence the second time, though. He looked away and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uh... let's speak after my match."

The dark-haired male nodded after a few seconds of pause. "Yeah. Good luck."

The two aces walked away from the group, Kagami's head bowed. However, Aomine could see that the redhead was smiling as he played with the ring attached to a chain around his neck.

Once again elbowing Kagami, he snorted. "You're like a maiden in love. C'mon, get your head in the game." There was a tinge of bitterness in his voice that went unnoticed by the exuberant redhead. Aomine knew how close the two had been, yet it was surprisingly annoying to see that there was someone who could make Kagami smile that wide.

"Dammit," Looking up at the ceiling, Kagami grinned. "It's such a relief to see him smiling again. Our last few encounters, he looked like he wanted to strangle me. Race you to the locker room!" With a solid slap on the shoulder, Kagami ran towards the specified destination with a gleeful laugh that got Aomine sulking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got nothing witty to say. Anyway, comments and kudos are always appreciated <3
> 
> Art posted on my [Tumblr](https://rhapshie.tumblr.com/) and [Pixiv](https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/3314597)


	9. When The Curtain Falls, We Rise

"There you are." Susa was the first to speak up when the door was pushed open to reveal a bright-eyed Kagami and a very grumpy Aomine.

"Alright. We're ready to roll!" Wakamatsu's face was equally sunny when he saw that Aomine came on time—of course, he still thought of the ace as insufferable, but at least the guy was a bit more motivated now.

"Good afternoon, you two!" Their manager patted the bench in front of her. "Come on, I'll give you a crash information session, considering you two were... _indisposed_ yesterday."

Both men were relieved to see that their teammates didn't look disgusted—at least the ones who were present, which was the first string. If anything, they just rolled their eyes and went about their business like they were dealing with problem children. At the same time, it was downright embarrassing to be treated like that

They begrudgingly sat down, but nothing could ruin Kagami's mood. Not even when he was being stared at by Satsuki's keen eyes.

"Today's opponent is Sei-chan. You're familiar with his plays, Dai-chan, but Kagamin," Satsuki paused. "Be careful. He's not someone to underestimate."

The 'Crash Course on Akashi Seijuro and Rakuzan's Uncrowned Kings' took about fifteen minutes and by the end of it, Kagami's pea brain was fried. He ended up nodding and saying "Okay, so he's strong, has weird eyes and I gotta watch out."

"...Yeah," Feeling defeated, Satsuki sighed. She didn't even know why she tried anymore. "Anyway, go get warmed up."

"By the way, Satsuki," Aomine called out. "Why do you call Kagami that? You should call him Tai-chan."

"Aomine, I will strangle you."

"Good idea! From now on, you're Tai-chan, got it?"

"Come here, Aomine." But the man in the topic already ran away with a chuckle. "Asshole! Come back, I'll kill you!"

"They sure are high-spirited again today. We should expect another amazing sight, I'd say." Imayoshi's glasses glinted in a villainous way that made Wakamatsu flinch, Susa back off and Sakurai cry.

.

Akashi gave Kagami the chills even by just existing. There was something... threatening about him, much like Kuroko. He didn't know if he was going to get greeted or stabbed, and it made the redhead uncomfortable. Aomine seemed immune to the Rakuzan captain's influence, though. He just stood there as they talked about something Kagami wasn't sure he wanted to know, but there was something stiff about Aomine's usually relaxed posture.

The finals of interhigh finally started.

Kagami was the first to get the ball and for a few moments, everything was normal. Touou scored, Rakuzan scored back, nothing was amiss. Just when he thought he was overthinking, he looked into the shorter redhead's mismatched eyes and felt another chill. There was really something wrong with this guy, but he tried to not think too much about it.

Rakuzan was a strong team. Everyone pulled their weights but it was strange how everything seemed... mundane. There was no flashy perfect copy, stupid three-pointers, terrifying wingspans or anything, really. They played with each other well—definitely better than Touou anyway. That was probably thanks to Akashi's uniting presence.

Aomine and Kagami played their normal game too, with the blunette passing to the redhead sometimes.

"Stop that." Aomine muttered after they scored a point. It was currently the beginning of the second quarter and Touou was leading slightly.

"Stop what?"

"Frowning," He pointed at his teammate and flicked his forehead. "You won't get in the zone by frying your last brain cell." Ignoring Kagami's loud protests, the ace shrugged. "Just play like you normally do and stop sweating the small things. Things are going to pick up from here, you know? There's a reason why Akashi was our captain."

Wondering what exactly Aomine meant by that, Kagami paced back towards his position.

He didn't have to wait too long to find out.

"Move." Akashi said coldly as he dribbled the ball, not even running. He stood there, staring straight into Kagami's eyes.

"No way." The taller redhead growled. Who did this guy think he was? Just when he was about to voice that, he felt himself slipping.

The next thing he knew, he was on the ground, Akashi walking right past him.

"My orders are absolute."

 _What the hell!?_ Kagami was paralysed. His entire body shivered, and it wasn't until a few seconds that he found the power to stand up. By then, it was too late, so he remained on the ground, confused. "What... was that?"

"Get up." Aomine kicked his teammate who was still seated on the ground—not too hard thankfully.

"Hey, don't do that, asshole! I'm getting up, I'm getting up," The number 10 did just that and he stared at Akashi's back. "What was that?"

"Ankle break. Try not to focus on the ball too much," Aomine scratched his head. "No one's immune to that. It's kinda annoying."

"How am I supposed to steal if I can't look at the ball?"

"Million dollar question. We just gotta keep playing, maybe we'll find out." The ace looked way too relaxed, but Kagami knew that he was anything but. After all, he had yet to yawn even once, and the lack of snark only meant that he was taking this seriously.

The zone would be good right about now, but if what Aomine said was true, then he shouldn't dwell on it too much. Instead, Kagami focused on what was in front of him.

He tried to not look at the ball when Akashi stood in front of him, though it didn't do him much good. He couldn't steal what he couldn't see. Annoyed, he turned around to catch up with the smaller redhead only to see Aomine slapping the ball away.

Akashi didn't look pleased in the slightest, thanks to the, "Insolence." he spat out.

"What—" Kagami widened his eyes but reflexively grabbed the object the moment it bounced towards him.

"Instinct, Bakagami!" The ace screamed out as Kagami ran towards the ring. When the number 10 turned to the side, he saw Aomine already caught up to him in an insane burst of speed. "Don't look, just feel."

Don't look, just feel. It was easier said than done. Five times already he tried to steal but only to make a fool out of himself by shoving his hand at nothing. Even Aomine's attempt wasn't successful all the time.

Between Kagami and Aomine constantly pressuring Akashi and the rest of Touou doing pretty well at disabling everyone else, they managed to score a few points and prevent the gap from widening. It was during the third quarter that Kagami realised there was more to Akashi than his stupid ankle breaks.

_I'm starting to get it._

Instinct. It always came back to that damn word. But if that was what it took to overcome that ankle break, he'd gladly fall back on it. Slowly, he could feel his fingertips brushing closer and closer to the ball while he stared at Akashi dead in the eyes without flinching. It definitely rubbed the Rakuzan captain off the wrong way because he constantly challenged Kagami as if to say, 'you can't beat me'.

"Move out of the way." Repeated the smaller redhead.

"And I said no!" Kagami lunged forward. _Instinct. Instinct. Instinct._

His hand touched the ball and Kagami felt his heart racing. He did it.

As he ran towards the basket, Aomine converged close to him as he tried to break from the blond who was tasked to guard him. "Kagami, watch out!"

Just as those words left Aomine's lips, the ball that was supposed to return to his palm, didn't. When Kagami turned around, Akashi was already there with his dual-toned eyes glinting dangerously at him.

"I know what you're going to do. Nothing escapes me."

_Shit, shit, shit._

Kagami growled as he ran back but was a beat too late because Akashi already passed the ball towards his teammate. The moment that object was about to change hands again, somehow, Imayoshi stood between them and grabbed it with an equally villainous smirk. Bastard must've been calculating possibilities in his head.

It was rewarded with a whistle from Aomine as he grabbed the ball passed by the captain and threw it into the basket.

"You're getting it, Kagami," The blunette said, panting. "But it's not over yet."

...So apparently Akashi could see the future.

"What the hell!?" The redhead ruffled his own hair. "Why are you guys so annoying!? All of you! Can't you play basket like a normal person?"

"Where's the fun in that? C'mon, don't tell me you're out of steam," Aomine slapped Kagami's back and smirked. "Keep up."

"Don't have to tell me to. The match is just getting started." Both of them wiped the sweat off their faces as they stared back firmly at Akashi.

.

Touou was doing exceptionally well. They might not be working together, but everyone's individual performance was unbelievable. Not only could Kagami and Aomine stand their ground, but the other three also pulled their weight too. Wakamatsu never once allowed his mark to roam free. Sakurai was doing magic with his three-pointers and Imayoshi stopped many advances with his cold calculation.

However, the third quarter was slowly coming to a close and everyone was running out of breath. This was the last push. If Touou could keep up the momentum—if Aomine and Kagami could gel together better, then they might be able to win.

The miracles sat on the very back as they observed the match intently and they were discussing the possible outcome of the game when _that_ happened.

It was a daring move. Aomine's high passes only meant for Kagami had been stopped numerous time thanks to Akashi's emperor eye. Instinctively, the ace did a straight pass. It was one of the worst passes anyone had ever seen in a way that it went closer to the opponent than his target.

Kagami, being the blockheaded fool he was, charged towards the ball with a determined roar.

And straight into number 8's elbow.

Kuroko and Himuro went pale. They jerked to their feet simultaneously the moment their friend dropped onto the floor. Kise gasped loudly while Midorima and Murasakibara widened their eyes in surprise.

The next thing they heard was Aomine screaming out Kagami's name. It wasn't a bloodcurdling yell, but it was loud enough that the whole stadium could hear it. The ace quickly ran to his teammate's side and watched as the redhead was pulled onto a stretcher. On the polished wooden floor, everyone could see droplets of blood that was wiped clean right after Kagami was hoisted up.

From there on, it went downhill for Touou.

.

The locker room was uncharacteristically silent without Kagami and Aomine's loud bickering. The former was still in the infirmary while the latter decided to take a longer cooldown. No one stopped him.

"Everyone did really well. You should be proud of yourselves! Not many people can stand up to Rakuzan like you did. We will get them back next time for sure." Satsuki somehow still found it in her to smile comfortingly and tapping everyone on the shoulders.

"...Can we check on Kagami?" Wakamatsu was the first to speak, making Satsuki sigh.

"In a second," She said, crossing her arms. "Injuries happen everyday and today is just not a good day for our team. Let's not blame each other, okay?"

"Well, he's a tough guy. It'll work out." Said Imayoshi with a shrug and a smile that lifted everyone's spirit a little. However, the cracking sound of hard bone against their favourite teammate's face was too fresh in their minds. Sakurai still looked traumatised at the image while Wakamatsu kept clicking his tongue. Susa pulled himself together shortly after the incident along with Imayoshi, so here they were.

Aomine was inconsolable, though. Sure, he played his usual game after Kagami was carted away, but he reverted back to being a ball hog without anyone to pass to. While it would've been enough against other teams, it didn't work against Rakuzan. Especially when the ace couldn't get in the zone for whatever reason. As a result, they lost.

"Do you think..." Sakurai bit his lower lip. "We could've won if we worked together better?"

Silence overtook the room and before the brunette could apologise, Imayoshi cut in. "Maybe. Maybe not. I wouldn't lie that we lost today because Rakuzan played as a team while for us, it was just Aomine against all of them. But that wouldn't change the fact that he doesn't pass to anyone that isn't Kagami."

"That's 'cause we're not strong enough!" Wakamatsu kicked a vacant bench in a fit of anger, startling everyone. "If we're a bit more like Kagami, maybe he'd pass to us too."

"So you're saying we just have to get better?" Susa muttered.

"Well, yeah! Obviously that asshole only cares about how good your individual performance is. I mean, look at Kagami—"

"That's wrong," Satsuki interrupted. "He's not strong enough, Tai-chan isn't on the level that Dai-chan wants him to be, but he's willing to wait for Tai-chan to grow because he sees something in him that he doesn't see in any of you."

"What is it?" Wakamatsu begrudgingly asked. It didn't sit well with him to care what Aomine thought of him, but it was surprisingly annoying that the ace trusted someone else but not the rest of the team.

"Drive. Passion. Persistence," She explained with a smile. "Sure, Tai-chan is an unpolished diamond, but his love for basketball caught Dai-chan's eyes. You see, Tai-chan reminds—"

"Can we go back to 'Kagamin', please? This is getting confusing." The platinum blond raised.

"— _Kagamin_ reminded Dai-chan of himself back when he loved basketball too. Do you understand? You can't just have this sport as a hobby and expect him to look at you. You have to strive for more!" She ended her passionate speech that resulted in dead silence. With a sigh, her shoulders sagged. "But I don't expect you to suddenly want to be pro or anything. You all have your own goals and basketball might not even be a career choice for you."

"I guess... yeah. Kagami's always going on and on about wanting to play on the NBA." Wakamatsu threw himself on the bench. "I might not share that dream, but when he's trying so hard, sometimes I just ask myself, am I doing enough?"

"...Me too." Sakurai twiddled with his thumb in the corner.

"I guess Kagami's just the type of guy who makes everyone wants to improve their work ethic, hm?" Susa exhaled softly, followed by Imayoshi who nodded.

"Well, this is the third year's last interhigh, so there's not much we can do," The captain continued. "But can we trust you to make our last summer camp training the best one, Momoi?"

The mood that was down low had been raised once more. It was so humbling to see how much Kagami had positively influenced this individualistic team with a pride too high, no one wanted to admit that they were the weak link. With a fond, sunny smile, Satsuki nodded. "You bet! I'm going to work all of you to the bone so we can win the winter high. Next year, we'll go to the nationals for sure!"

"Yeah!" Everyone agreed simultaneously. The energy had skyrocketed and Satsuki couldn't ask for a better outcome.

"Now, let's go see Kagamin, shall we?" Now, she just hoped that one half of their star player was okay.

.

Kagami opened his eyes to the white wall, white ceiling and white sheet.

_Urgh... my nose... is it broken?_

When he put a finger on his face, the memory of earlier came rushing in and he immediately sat up, The rustling must've been audible because the moment his toes touched the cold floor, the curtain was slid open to reveal a middle-aged lady.

"Take it easy, Kagami-kun. Please sit down." She eased the redhead once more onto his back.

"But the match—"

"Is over. Please, we need to run through some tests."

"Who won?"

"Kagami-kun," She exhaled. "The sooner we get this out of the way, the sooner you can leave," That did the trick. She quickly ran through a series of questions asking about any headache or dinginess, if he remembered what happened, and lastly, she got him to walk on a straight line. "You appear fine. No concussion or major trauma, but try not to overexert yourself."

"Thanks!" He immediately dashed outside the infirmary, making the poor lady shake her head.

"Whoa!" Wakamatsu yelped when the redhead slammed into him. "Dude, you're back up! Are you feeling okay?"

Kagami saw his close friend and the rest of Touou standing there with a concerned expression, but now was not the time to mull about that. "Did we win?"

Satsuki shook her head. "It's not your fault, Kagamin. There's always next time, so please don't—"

"Where's Aomine?"

"We haven't seen him after the cooldown. He might've already gone home since he—" Susa hadn't even finished explaining before Kagami took off.

He wanted to see Aomine even though he was pretty sure that asshole would be just fine. It was just odd that Touou lost. After all, Kagami knew he wasn't the one who did the heavy lifting. It was always Aomine. Kagami could only do a fraction of what the number 5 could, as infuriating as that might be.

The score was dead even when he fell, so Aomine should've been able to play his 100% without having to fuck around with his bad passes, he'd fall into the zone and win. That begged the question: why did they _lose_? What happened?

Kagami wanted an explanation, but no one could find Aomine. When they went to his place, it was empty. Kagami tried calling him but it went straight to mailbox. The same happened with Satsuki.

Nothing changed for two whole days. Aomine didn't come to school and tomorrow was the beginning of summer holiday. They were seriously thinking of filing for a missing person at this point.

"Dai-chan..." The manager put her phone against her lips, heart thumping loudly with concern. It was uncharacteristic for Aomine to disappear like that. She knew full well how much her childhood friend cared for Kagami, no matter how much he tried to hide it. She also knew that Aomine blamed himself for what happened to the redhead, so more than ever, she wanted to speak some sense into that thick head of his.

Then suddenly, she got a call from Kuroko.

.

_Crack._

That was the sound of an elbow slamming into someone's face as it broke a nose and fell a roaring tiger.

Tried as he might, Aomine couldn't get that out of his head.

"It wasn't your fault, Aomine-kun." Kuroko sat next to his friend on the couch. Of all people, he didn't expect Aomine to come to him after that match. If this was the normal Aomine, he'd just laugh at Kagami's predicament. However, something big happened between them. Something significant enough for the dark-skinned male to suddenly blame himself for the accident.

"I'm telling you it is." He remained inconsolable.

Kuroko sighed at his friend's stubbornness. Currently, Aomine had his knees up to his chest and head pointed down. "How?"

"You saw me," Aomine muttered, mind keep rolling back to that incident. "My pass was absolute shit. If only I'd tossed it a bit more to the right..."

"You didn't know that was going to happen. You only did what you think was smart which was to change your attack pattern. In your shoes, I would have done the same thing too."

"My toss is still shit."

"It really was."

"Shut up, Tetsu."

"But it really was bad. _All_ your passes are."

"Some friend you are. I didn't come here to be badmouthed."

"You asked for it," Kuroko said, but despite his flat voice and expression, he was glad that Aomine chose to come to him. "Still, it's not very nice to leave Momoi and Kagami-kun in the dark. You need to tell them you're alive so they'd stop bombarding my phone."

"I can't face Kagami after what happened..." Aomine dropped his body sideways so he fell on Kuroko's soft mattress, then buried his head in the pillow that smelt just like his old teammate. "What if he blames me too..."

"Kagami-kun isn't that smart."

"You know what, you're right. Doesn't change the fact that I still don't wanna see him, though."

"Sooner or later, you have to. It'll be fine, Aomine-kun. The worst thing you can do right now is run away," He stared at the Touou ace's back. Aomine had changed so much in the span of a bit over two months, he wasn't sure what he was dealing with anymore. "Kagami-kun is a kind person. I'm sure you know this. He'd never blame you. If anything, he's more likely to blame himself. Now, he's probably sitting on his bed, thinking about what a fool he was.

He'd say, 'if only I caught that ball one second sooner', 'if only I'd avoided that elbow', 'if only I'd been a better player'." Kuroko pulled the pillow away from Aomine. "You have to go to him, Aomine-kun. The longer you sulk, the more Kagami-kun would grief. I know you treasure him too much for that."

The short nod was all the reassurance Kuroko needed. Aomine slowly got up to a sitting position and sighed. "Yeah, you're right," He stood up. "...Thanks, Tetsu."

"Don't mention it," He smiled fondly. "I'm glad you found someone you feel at home with."

Aomine nodded, his heart blooming at the thought of playing with or against Kagami. Thanks to him, he rediscovered some fun aspects of basketball again. Right now, the redhead might not be strong enough to go one-on-one with, but one day he would be. Aomine believed in Kagami just as much as the redhead believed that he'd one day be a rival to the Touou ace.

However, that didn't change the fact that Aomine didn't want a repeat of that traumatising scene again.

"Tetsu," He started, taking Kuroko's attention. "Will you teach me how to pass sometimes?"

Flower of hope spread in Kuroko's stomach as he stared in wonder at his friend's back. The old Aomine he loved was slowly but surely coming back and it made his eyes glisten.

"Yes," He smiled. "Yes, of course, Aomine-kun."

.

It was supposed to be a perfect day. Satsuki and his friends from Touou basketball team came flooding into his living room in the afternoon to celebrate his birthday. They all brought so many amazing presents starting from a brand new basketball, a signed Bulls poster that he didn't know how anyone could even get, socks, track pants and so many more amazing things that made his chest swell with happiness.

They ate the black forest cake that Sakurai baked (thank god Satsuki didn't touch that), ate some takeaways that everyone else bought and drank some soda while watching an NBA recording. At some point, Kuroko, Kise, Murasakibara, Midorima and Himuro came to visit as well.

Nothing had been discussed with his brother, but at the moment, he could hardly think about what to say because the one person he wanted to see was still nowhere to be found. Himuro knew this too, and he mostly just stayed with Murasakibara while exchanging tentative smiles with the redhead.

When they left, the hole that formed in his chest became wider. It was way too quiet in here. He was sure that if Aomine was there with them, the guy would've been lounging on the sofa like a cat and would probably stay over too.

But no Aomine.

Kagami was _convinced_ that the other male was furious at him for fucking things up for the team. He must've been so angry, he refused to speak with him or even Satsuki. The pain that tied his insides into a million tiny little knots made him crouch on the floor, arms holding his stomach as he replayed the memory over and over again.

It was something that could've been avoided. If he did, none of this would've happened. They would've won and—

_Riing._

"Satsuki?" Kagami greeted weakly. He wasn't in the mood for chitchats when all he wanted to do was sleep even though he knew that he wouldn't be able to. The thought of disappointing Aomine weighed heavily on him.

 _"Dai-chan,"_ She started, immediately lifting Kagami's head. _"He's with Tetsu-kun. He's fine. He's heading back now."_

The redhead immediately hung up. He practically leapt in relief and was about to run for Aomine's place when his doorbell rang. At that point, his heart was throbbing with the desire to see the blunette and apologise for the reckless stunt he pulled. He wanted to mend it. He _had_ to. If Aomine grew distant from him again, then it would crush him.

After seeing how great of a guy Aomine was, Kagami didn't want to let him go. He was addicted to that lazy smirk that he always employed when he played, the smug look when he scored and the vulnerability he displayed when no one was watching. At some point, Aomine had become his closest friend and become such an integral part of his life, it was difficult to imagine playing without the thunderous panther.

No matter what it cost, Kagami was going to get on Aomine's good side again.

When he opened the door, however, the man he wanted to see stood there with a graphic black t-shirt with a large panther printed on the front. He had a pair of skinny jeans on and he had his hands stuffed in the pockets.

"Holy shit," Kagami breathed out in relief. There was absolutely no tinge of anger in Aomine's face and that alone almost made Kagami burst into tears. The first thing he did was to pull Aomine into a hug. His trembling heart finally slowed down upon seeing the person he wanted to see the most. "Fuck, you should've told me you were at Kuroko's, you ass."

"Yeah." The blunette muttered into Kagami's shoulder as he allowed the redhead a few seconds to hug him tight like that. It was extremely soothing to have those strong arms around him, and it served as a reassurance that Kagami wasn't mad at him.

"Come in." Kagami pulled the blunette into the living room where leftover cakes and food were scattered on the coffee table.

"...It's messy."

"Oh, yeah," The redhead scratched his head. "Everyone came in earlier and we ate together." He quickly worked to push the mess to the side and neatly tucked all the foodstuff in the fridge as Aomine scanned through the wrappers and candles strewn about on the floor.

When the realisation dawned on him, he swallowed. "Kagami. Is it your birthday?"

There was no answer for a moment, but then the redhead turned around, face dusted in pink and he said, "Y-yeah. Kuroko came here earlier too but that bastard didn't tell me he was housing a fugitive."

Aomine stared at Kagami blankly before he let out a huge disappointed breath that made the redhead flinch.

_This is it. He's gonna yell at me now. Better brace myself._

The outburst never came because Aomine came here to apologise and to see if Kagami was doing okay after that whole elbow accident. Now, though, he started thinking of what he could do to at least show some gratitude to the redhead who made him like life wasn't such a chore. Why did no one tell him that it was Kagami's birthday today!? If he knew then he would've bought something... goddammit.

But what did he even like aside from basketball?

Wait... basketball.

In an instant, Aomine's expression brightened. Basketball!

"I got it!" He jumped and grabbed Kagami's right hand. Then, he dragged the male towards the door. "Let's go."

"Go where?"

"I wanna kick your ass. Let's go play some basket." Nonchalantly, he put his shoes back on and kicked Kagami's pair towards the confused male.

"Wha—!? Basket? Seriously?" The invigorating grin on Kagami's face made Aomine think that yes, that was the right choice. Perhaps the only suitable present for this basketball idiot. It was getting late which meant the sun no no longer glared at them and the wind had cooled down a bit. Perfect time to not sweat to death while exercising.

There was no need for any more words. By this time, Kagami knew that Aomine wasn't upset at him and that was all he needed to know. So, he gladly followed the taller male towards the nearest playing spot.

There were two courts there, and one was being used by some college students who blasted some radio station from their phone. The ten guys playing weren't bad, by normal people standard, but it wasn't anything special to Aomine. As he rolled his shoulders, he blocked out the Western music that played from the other court and focused solely on Kagami.

_Will you make it sound so pretty even when it's not?  
_ _Didn't choose but it's the only one we've got_

"Don't think I'll take it easy just because you almost got a damn concussion."

"Pssh, that was _nothing_. I can handle something twice as hard as a stupid elbow. C'mon, I'm gonna win today!" He grabbed the ball that his friend passed and began dribbling. The sound of it bouncing was satisfying to the two and it coaxed a challenging smile on their faces.

This felt like heaven. Seeing Aomine's cocky grin again made Kagami feel like, yes, he was home and everything was right in this world. In a blink of an eye, he already forgot why he was so upset earlier.

 _And sometimes I get so tired  
_ _Of getting tied up in my thoughts  
_ _You're the only one that often makes it stop_

The moment Kagami lunged forward, Aomine was already there to block him. His arms were held up by his sides as he tried to read the other's movement that was getting more unpredictable each passing day. Kagami had not slacked in his training and it showed through the way his instinct shone brightly.

Aomine admired the way his grin only seemed to widen every time he failed to break through. Like being stopped wasn't something that should discourage, but be used as a mean of improving. If only everyone had this mindset, then maybe he wouldn't have to go through what he did.

 _God, it hurts to be human  
_ _Without you I'd be losing  
_ _And someday we'll face the music  
_ _God, it hurts to be human_

"You're naive!" Spotting a moment of chink in Kagami's armour, he ran forward and grabbed the ball, turning the table so that now, he was the one who had to break past Kagami. The redhead was much faster now. Whereas before he couldn't catch up, now he was already standing there between Aomine and the ring.

"Won't let you score!" The redhead laughed as his hazel stared into Aomine's blue in an attempt to read him. With a smirk, Aomine lobbed the ball up to score, but it was slapped away before it could reach its peak.

Kagami was improving day by day.

 _But I've got you, you, you, you, you, you  
_ _And you've got me, me, me, me, too_

They were unaware of the eyes that had shifted to them. Those college students stared wide-eyed at the pair of high schoolers dancing around each other like they knew each other's style like the back of their hands.

They didn't, but they were learning. Through each game, they came to understand that they were two very similar people with a mutual passion for basketball—they came to understand each other because while their social skills were lacking, their basket sense wasn't.

If there was one thing they always followed, it was instinct. And their instincts hardly ever wronged them.

 _Like we're buckled and preparing before the crash  
_ _Like we're walking down a road of broken glass_

Wordlessly, they played. Aomine had forgotten when was the last time he had this much fun. Even though he ended up scoring the first basket, he had to actually fight for it.

There was something extremely reassuring about having to go all out and not having to worry about destroying his opponent's resolve. Because if there was anything that Kagami was, it was unbreakable.

 _Now if we defeat all odds  
_ _And it was us against the world  
_ _You can count on me  
_ _You know I'd have your back_

Kagami had never been so motivated to win in his entire life. He was no stranger to one-on-ones considering he played with Wakamatsu, Imayoshi, Sakurai and Susa a lot during his day off. However, no one could get his blood pumping the way Aomine could.

Their interhigh might have been over, but that wasn't the end of the story. After all, Kagami vowed that he'd keep up with this basketball genius. He didn't want Aomine to be alone anymore. He'd seen just what a kind, loveable man the ace was, and Kagami badly wanted to shatter all the ghosts haunting him if only to see him smile.

 _God, it hurts to be human  
_ _Without you I'd be losing  
_ _And someday we'll face the music  
_ _God, it hurts to be human_

As Aomine let out another formless throw that always captivated Kagami, he heard the blunette whisper: "Happy birthday, Bakagami."

With a fond smile that was accompanied with the _whoosh_ of the ball seamlessly entering the ring, Kagami nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

 _But I've got you, you, you, you, you, you  
_ _And you've got me, me, me, me, too_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAN. I'm on chapter 12 right now and only now that I realise good golly, we have a _loooooooooooooooooooong_ way to go. Am I seriously gonna finish this project????
> 
> ~~Like I'm talking 65k words in and kagami—and ONLY kagami admits that maybe he likes aomine kinda thing SDKLFJKLJKLDSFJ~~
> 
> THANKS FOR ALL THE COMMENTS ILY


	10. A Moment of Respite

The sound of birds chirping could be heard from outside the window and it was accompanied with the sunlight peeking through the cracks on the curtain. It was a bit steamy thanks to the intense summer heat. Even from inside, he could smell the sun. As Kagami stirred, he noticed a heavy weight all around him.

Aomine's left arm was draped over his waist and a leg hooked around him. He was lightly snoring with his head tucked under Kagami's jaw. The redhead pulled away a little to take a closer look at Aomine's innocent sleeping face. The frown line that was a permanent fixture on his forehead disappeared, making him look five years younger.

As much as he wanted to stare at the ace, he had to get up. His stomach was screaming already and he was sweaty thanks to their impulsive decision to have sex after their one-on-one. However, when he tried to pull away, he was met with heavy resistance.

"Aomine, wake up." Kagami groaned, but no response. It would be fine and dandy _if_ the guy would let go of him.

"Hn..." The dark-skinned male groaned, clutching around Kagami even harder. Seeing how deeply asleep he was discouraged the redhead from kicking his friend awake. Who knew how many hours in total this guy had slept in a month. Kagami would wager, a quarter the necessary amount.

With a sigh, Kagami ignored his grumbling stomach and closed his eyes. It was the summer holiday anyway. He had no urgent matter to attend to. Hot as it may be, he enjoyed the feel of Aomine's strong arms around him—the magic-kissed hands that did wonders in the court. It might be silly but Kagami liked to think that maybe if he spent long enough being touched like this, he would absorb some of Aomine's talent too.

It must be around 10 AM that Aomine was finally awake enough to yawn and roll over, giving Kagami the freedom he needed. The redhead absently stroke Aomine's hair and landed a kiss on his nape before getting up. Honestly, Kagami felt like they should get an award for the sappiest sex friends ever.

Previously, he had one other, but unlike with Aomine, it was a much more detached relationship. They only communicated with each other for a booty call and nothing else. Kagami thought his current one was nice far nicer. For someone who hadn't had sex before, Aomine always fucked him real good. High physical compatibility, perhaps.

He left the bedroom to cook some brunch of pancakes, not forgetting to put his favourite dark red apron on. It felt strange not going to school. He had so much time to burn but nothing to burn it on. Sure, he'd probably go play some basket with Wakamatsu later and maybe Aomine. Scratch that. _Definitely_ Aomine. Kagami would drag his teammate kicking and screaming if he had to.

"Mornin'..." The blunette scratched his butt as he walked towards the dining room and plopped down onto the chair like he was ready to feast.

"Morning. Slept well?" Asked Kagami while flipping the pancakes and sliding the cooked ones onto one of the two plates. When he heard Aomine's hum, he smiled. "Then can you please grab the maple syrup and butter from the fridge and put it on the table?"

It took a few seconds for the blunette to stand up and do just that. He yawned and cracked his joints as he walked.

"Wanna play some basket later?"

"Mm." He mumbled, still half asleep. He probably didn't even know what he agreed to.

"Cool. I think I've improved a lot. I should pose a challenge now. Might even beat you." With a chuckle, he set down the pile of food that definitely opened Aomine's eyes.

"Fuck, you should start a mukbang channel or something. Are you even human?"

"And you should run a shit-talking channel or something since you're so good at it. Bastard," At the scoff, Kagami sat down in front of him. "So. Why did you disappear like that after the match? You don't seem upset that we lost, so I'm really confused right now."

Aomine flinched a little and his cheeks quickly heat up at the memory. "N-nothing! I just wanted to spend some time with someone who doesn't suck ass at basket, that's all."

"Huh!? You wanna go!?"

The back and forth continued through brunch and even as Kagami did the laundry and through the trashy reality TV they watched until lunchtime. It felt strange not going to school or practice but he supposed it was natural for people to want to rest after such a crazy match against powerhouse schools.

But summer holiday meant lots of students becoming free. As a result, the court was jam-packed with too many people playing for fun. Kagami didn't have the heart to steal the court, so he ended up kicking gravel as he and Aomine made their way towards the city centre to go to the arcade or something.

"Wanna play some DDR?" Entering the busy store, Aomine asked idly.

"You play?" Kagami blinked in surprise while the dark-skinned male hummed.

"I got a mat at home, actually. I use it when I can't sleep."

 _Which is all the time,_ Kagami sighed. It was still difficult for him to imagine how many sleepless nights the other male went through without him knowing. All this time he spent wondering why the hell Aomine wouldn't stop sleeping in class, he could've spent staying by his side at his home.

Thankfully, Aomine snapped him out of it with a good slap on the back as he raced towards the nearest free DDR machine. "Can we play Time Crisis instead?" Kagami groaned but ended up following Aomine anyway. His friend already put a coin inside the slot and leaned back against the back rail to prop his hands on it.

Kagami didn't know what to expect, but he was a damn fool to think that this Speed Demon™ would be anything less than bloody impressive. The redhead could only stand there with ten other audiences, jaw dropping to the floor as Aomine blitzed note after note in an inhuman speed. Kagami could hardly see a second where his friend's feet stayed still because they were too busy tapping one or two of those eight buttons shared between two stands.

"I wondered what the commotion was. It's Aominecchi!" Kise suddenly appeared beside Kagami along with Kuroko and Satsuki. "Oh, of course, you'd be here too, Kagamicchi."

"What are you guys doing here?"

Kuroko pointed to the basketball machine that he was pretty sure had been destroyed by Kise thanks to how many points he scored. "Kise-kun loves trampling the hopes and dreams of young children."

"I'm not a monster, Kurokocchi! It's their fault for playing next to me. I just wanted to let out some steam!"

"Dai-chan, I wanna play too!" Satsuki hopped up and down in the air as she stepped towards the stand the moment the song finished. By then, Aomine was already panting with Satsuki's arms wrapped around his one.

"Fine, you get to that other one."

"Me too, me too!" Kise ran to the one on the left.

"...Let's... stand back." Kuroko put an arm in front of Kagami and together, they did just that.

"Come on, there's no way they're better than Aomine. Did you see how he moved?" Kagami scoffed before taking his phone out and went to record the scene in front of him.

"I wouldn't be so sure." The blue-haired boy said while they watched Satsuki tying her hair up in a ponytail that got all the boys drooling.

Yeah, Kagami ate his words. Kise being amazing at this game was a no-brainer since his copy ability was just _that_ powerful. Satsuki, however... she was on a whole another level. She danced gracefully with minimal movements, tapping the buttons lightly but strong enough to make it register. As she spun around the platform, more and more boys stared at her very... round and certainly bouncy breasts.

Kuroko only slurped on his vanilla milkshake with a flat expression, as per usual while Kagami struggled to not drop his phone by how in awe he was.

When the song ended, Aomine was quick to take off his thin summer jacket and draped it around Satsuki, not forgetting to pull her into his arm and glared at all the boys who had been staring at her. The response was immediate. The crowd of men swiftly disappeared as the two hopped off the platform.

Seriously, if Kagami didn't know any better, he'd think those two were dating too. It was really adorable how protective Aomine was when it came to Satsuki. Sure, they had their differences, but at the end of the day, they loved each other.

"Yay! I win again!" She put a hand on his waist and ducked away from his embrace. The screen flashed with a full combo while Kise and Aomine missed a couple. The blond looked dismayed that he failed to beat Aomine, judging by the way he shook his friend, begging for a rematch. "Tetsu-kun, were you watching?"

"Yes. It was terrifying. I thought Aomine-kun was a special kind of beast, but I don't understand how you are even better than he is.

"No waaay, it was awesome, right?" She moved from Aomine to Kuroko, both hands on his one shoulder.

"Kagami, you wanna go?" The blunette angled his head towards the machine with an infuriatingly smug smirk.

"...I think I'll pass. I can kick your ass on Time Crisis, though."

"Why don't we destroy the B-ball machine instead?"

"You're on!" With a grin, Kagami rolled up his sleeves and ran towards the vacant gaming device. They put in some coins and immediately, they began shooting hoops.

He realised that was _kinda_ a death sentence. Aomine, that fucker, he alternated between left and right hand at throwing the balls with 100% accuracy. When it came to the amount of baskets one could score, Aomine was definitely the top scorer. Kise could easily keep up with him, though. Both of them tied the score while Kuroko got about 4 points.

"Why are you so bad." Was Kagami's statement.

"Says the person whose only method of scoring is dunk."

"Yo, Tetsu, let's hit Street Fighter! It's been a while since we last played."

And that was how they found out that Kuroko was an absolute monster at fighting games. Aomine got single-handedly destroyed while Satsuki squealed in delight at her crush's competence. Oh, Kagami got his ass handed to him too. 

"Man, that was a great session." Kagami stretched his spine as he walked out of the arcade after a solid 2 hours. It had been so long since he last spent so much time in one. This time, with an equally fantastic company!

Satsuki was smiling from an ear-to-ear as she stuck close to Kuroko who was jabbing exchanges with Aomine. Kise was somewhere in the arcade getting drowned in girls, but a few seconds later, he caught up to the group.

"I haven't had the chance to speak to you after the match, Kagamicchi." The blond said as he walked next to the redhead.

"That was a crazy game. You're really good, Kise."

"Right? Right?" He laughed, and Kagami immediately regretted complimenting him. "But I'm impressed you can get Aominecchi out of his shell," They looked back towards the trio. "He's been like that since the second year of middle school. Kurokocchi tried to help, but ultimately, none of us could."

"I don't understand. All he needs is a strong player to play against him. All of you are."

To which Kise shook his head. "No, it goes deeper than that. Sure, all of us are good in our own way, but not in the way that Aominecchi wants us to be," Kise extended his hand and pointed at a finger to emphasise his point. "For example, Akashicchi is a crazy good leader who unites a team, Kurokocchi is a strong passer and a hidden dagger. Murasakibaracchi has the reach and power to stop almost all advances, Midorimacchi has his three-pointers," He glanced at Kagami. "I was the one who played the closest to what he wants since I can copy his style. The day that he stopped enjoying that, it was over."

"He's so hard to understand," Kagami sighed. "But regardless, I'm glad I could help. It's a shame that a crazy good player like him stopped loving the sport. I think he can make it big in the NBA."

Kise nodded. "Are you going to go pro, Kagamicchi?"

"Definitely," There was no hesitation. "I'm definitely going to be the best damn player in the world."

Such a confident and determined look made Kise burst out laughing. "Oh, man. No wonder Aominecchi likes you," He slung a hand around the taller one's neck. "Just between you and me, I'm also planning to go pro."

"No shit!" Kagami gawked.

"Yeah, and I'm pretty sure Kurokocchi and Midorimacchi are considering it too."

"Oh, man. Imagine us playing against each other on the big stage," Just thinking about it pumped Kagami. The Miracles were an amazing bunch and all of them could definitely be big names. "What about the other three?"

"I couldn't imagine Murasakibaracchi wanting to do it, but..." He grinned. "After you guys beat him, I think even _he's_ considering it. You should beat him once more for good measure. And Akashicchi too, 'kay? Speaking of Akashicchi, are you okay? You got hit pretty hard."

"Ah, yeah. No biggies," The redhead rubbed his healed nose. "Beating them is a given. We might've lost against Rakuzan last time, but we'll definitely win next time. Just you watch."

"But you gotta beat me first and there won't be a second time." Stated Kise proudly.

"No way, we did it the first time and we'll do it again!"

They all kept up their friendly banter and ended up playing some basketball anyway on an empty street court they found. It was late in the evening when they finally parted ways. Aomine and Kagami sat on the train as they travelled home.

"It feels so weird not having school." Aomine stretched his body like a cat and yawned.

A comfortable silence fell as Kagami thought of what Kise said earlier. Having three Miracles playing for the NBA teams that scouted them would be pretty darn cool. Kagami, personally, wanted to join the Bulls and that hadn't changed even now. He couldn't wait to finally make the sport he loved so much as a career.

But the thought of joining alone suddenly felt off.

"Aomine, are you planning to go pro?"

"Haah?" The dark-skinned male frowned. "That came outta nowhere."

Kagami turned towards him. "But are you?"

The other male glanced at his friend to see a dead serious look that made him let out an exhale as he slouched. "Never crossed my mind."

"Why not? Even though you're so good."

"I played because I wanted to play. I guess I never really had enough free time to think about it."

"Past tense. I'm talking _now_." Kagami turned his body this time to stare at his teammate. He wouldn't lie that joining a pro team with Aomine—heck, even playing _against_ him would be amazing.

"No." The dark-haired male scoffed.

"But why?"

"Mind your own business." Something told Kagami that was the end of the discussion, so he backed off for now. It was quiet the whole ride back and even on the way back home to Kagami's place.

When the door closed, Aomine jumped him almost immediately. While the redhead didn't mind there was something really off about the dark-skinned male after that whole conversation.

.

It was pathetic.

Aomine was sure Kagami felt the desperation in his touches. Truth be told, he knew Kagami was passionate about the NBA and wanted to be in it one day. Back then, he didn't really care, but now it was a different story. If Kagami went back to America, he'd be all alone again. That would _suck._

Sure, he could just run after the redhead. However, there were a couple of flaws in that logic. For one, he didn't enjoy basketball enough to want to slave away in a professional scene. Second, even if he chased after Kagami, there was no telling how far away the redhead would run. NBA was one thing, but what if he found someone else he enjoyed playing against and with better?

His heart was in a turmoil, but all of his worries were chased away when Kagami cupped his cheek and looked at him gently from underneath. "Oi, stop scowling if you wanna fuck."

That coaxed a chuckle from the taller one. The grin, in turn, made Kagami smile too as he rolled his hips towards Aomine.

Yeah, he'd cross that bridge when he got to it. No point in worrying about it now. What he knew was that: one, he enjoyed playing with Kagami. Two: he couldn't wait until the redhead got stronger.

Maybe when that time came, he'd love basketball enough to want to pursue a professional career.

.

It wasn't in the agenda to punch his sworn brother and made a stupid promise that he didn't want to go through with. To say Himuro regretted it was an understatement. But what was done was done and he was thankful that Kagami was still the same Kagami from all those years ago. He was wild and reckless but too nice for his own good sometimes.

Didn't change the fact that he was pissed off that his brother dared to hold back against him, though. Not once but _twice_. The second time around, he had Aomine to do the punching. To be honest, the reason why he was so angry wasn't only because of that. Sure, it was infuriating to be pitied so much, Kagami decided to hold back, but that wasn't all there was to it.

He made a plan to meet up with his old friend today for lunch because he didn't get a chance to after the finals. How could he? Stupid Kagami decided to get elbowed in the face and got sent to the infirmary. After that, he heard that Aomine was missing and—god! How was his life so full of dramas?

"Muro-chin, are you going to see Kaga-chin?" His friend asked with his mouth full of gummy bears. Seeing Murasakibara gorging himself with food never ceased to make Himuro think that everything in the world was alright.

"Yeah, I'll be back in an hour or something." Said the dark-haired male as he put on his shoes.

"Okay," Murasakibara continued eating while continuing the video game they had been playing together all day yesterday to the point that they lost track of time and Himuro stayed over. "Come back quickly. I wanna go to that new dessert bar."

"I told you the 50% discount is only for couples." He sighed exasperatedly.

"Then go out with me, Muro-chin."

"Atsushi... seriously," The shorter one shook his head. "Look, we'll talk about this later. I'm leaving now."

"'Kaaaay." Was the last thing he heard before he closed the door.

The whole way there, his mind was torn between the biggest baby Murasakibara and the next big baby Kagami. He wasn't going to live past forty if this kept up. With a big heave, he entered the promised cafe to see that Kagami beat him to it.

"Hey," He greeted. When the redhead turned around, Himuro almost jumped. Kagami's eyebags were so dark, it was the same shade as his black hair. He also noted how his friend couldn't sit still and instead kept shifting. "What happened to _you_?"

"Aomine."

That was the only explanation he needed to hear for his mind to go wild. Gaming session all night? Basketball all night? Aomine being a pain in the ass all night? Or... Aomine being a _pain in the ass_ all night?

When he saw the beginning of many, _many_ hickeys under Kagami's shirt, he realised that it was the last one on the list. His brother sleeping around with other men didn't surprise him since he always knew Kagami swung that way. What surprised him was his choice in sleeping partner this time.

"Why him?" Himuro shook his head.

"...It just happened, okay? He was especially handsy yesterday." Kagami buried his head in his hands. In front of him was three empty cups of coffee.

"I should've guessed anyway. You two just couldn't keep your hands off each other in like, every match."

"No way," Kagami jerked. "Are we really that obvious?"

"You seriously don't notice?" At the horrified look he received, Himuro laughed then settled on the seat opposite of his friend. "Anyway, guess who mailed me yesterday?"

There was a beat of silence before Kagami lightly slapped the surface of the table. "No."

"Yeah. Archie. He asked me where the hell you were."

"Another booty call? He seriously didn't know I moved?" The redhead was amused more than anything. "Wait, he mailed you which means he doesn't even have mine!" The sight of Kagami chuckling like that made Himuro less nervous about this apology he was about to do.

"You two were never on the same wavelength. Which is why I think what you have with Aomine is nice." Said the dark-haired male. They fell into a comfortable banter for a while longer before their laughter finally died down and Kagami's grin was reduced to a smile. The sandwiches they ordered earlier were gone some time during the chitchat.

"I think I still need to apologise."

"Actually, that's my line," Himuro cut in before Kagami could say any more. "Taiga, I take it all back. What I did was stupid and uncalled for."

"It wasn't. You have all the rights to be angry at me when I disrespected your skills. I shouldn't have held back. Not in America, not during the match. Looking down on someone is the last thing I wanna do."

"I know," He sighed. "I know that you did it because I wasn't on my best and I pulled that bullcrap about disowning you." Both of them snorted at that.

"We were young."

"We're _still_ young. You sound like a fifty years old saying that." Himuro played with the teaspoon in his hand as he let a short silence stretch. "I was jealous of you, Taiga," At the confused look, he continued. "Your skill suddenly skyrocketed even though I started playing first. I told you that I didn't want to be your brother anymore after your next win because I was scared that you were going to overtake me. Guess it was some sort of pride thing."

Kagami looked surprised at the confession. "I looked up to you, Tatsuya. Still do to this day."

"I know. I wanted you to keep looking up to me. I thought if you could play that well then, one day you were going to completely surpass me. When that time comes, you might not want to play with me anymore. Pretty stupid, huh?"

"That's not stupid at all!" Kagami leaned forward. "I mean... I thought if I don't keep improving, you'll get bored of playing with me... so I tried my hardest to get better. It was all so you'd call me your rival."

The two of them stared at each other, then they burst into laughter. "What, so you're telling me we were both _that_ stupid?"

"I guess so." The redhead grinned, but there was a noticeable sag on his shoulder as their spirits were lifted. "So I guess we're okay?"

"Only if you're okay with it."

"I'm okay with it."

"So, I guess we're okay." Again, both of them laughed. It felt nice to talk to Kagami once more without a huge divide between them. It made Himuro think that maybe coming to Japan was worth every penny.

"Wanna play some ball?" The redhead grinned as he angled his head towards the street court just across the cafe. "No holding back this time."

"I'll still kick your ass."

They quickly made their way to the court and played until Murasakibara came stomping towards them and dragged Himuro away.

.

The week passed by in a blink of an eye. After Satsuki announced the date of Touou's summer camp, it was already Saturday again. Aomine thought he should probably do the pile of homework he left untouched due to how much Satsuki nagged him about it but decided that next week would be fine.

Saturday meant Lord of The Rings marathon with Kagami. Currently, it was 7 PM which was their agreed meeting time. Yes, it was going to be an overnight marathon because it wouldn't be fun otherwise. He had been looking forward to it all week because the redhead promised to make some kick ass nachos and salsa as a snack.

But...

"Why are you here!?" Aomine pointed at Wakamatsu who currently sat on the left side in the huge pillow fort Aomine built.

"'Cause I don't want you to take advantage of Kagami, obviously!" The platinum blond glared daggers at the dark-skinned male who echoed the gesture.

"It ain't my fault that I'm sexy as fuck." The blunette snickered.

"You must be using some hypnotism or some shit. No way a nice guy like Kagami would ever fall for a shithead like you!" Wakamatsu went into a Doting Father mode.

"Fine, you're gonna hear us having sex all night long."

"Not on my watch."

"What are you guys talking about?" The redhead popped in the living room with a huge mountain of nachos, minced beef, salsa and cheese that he set down out of their reach. He was wearing the black apron Aomine had laying around in the kitchen and on the corner of his lips was a trace of sour cream.

Wakamatsu immediately lunged towards Aomine to strangle him. "You're fucking disgusting!"

"I didn't _do_ anything!"

"You were staring like a creep!"

"Shut up, he rocks that apron. One day I'm gonna fuck him with nothing but that on."

"Like I said, _disgusting_. Besides, aren't you dating Momoi?" Wakamatsu scowled as he watched Kagami taking off the apron in the kitchen and folding it neatly.

"Pfft, you're dumb just like the rest of the school." At the loud 'huh?!', Aomine rolled his eyes.

"This guy is a softie," Kagami laughed while patting Aomine's soft blue hair that he couldn't get enough of. "He did it so Satsuki would stop getting harassed by everyone. Honestly, if she ends up without a partner, it's probably _your_ fault." The redhead leaned into Aomine's space and grinned while the other scoffed just like an overgrown cat he was.

"Aomine... is capable of being _nice_?"

"You should've seen him on Monday. He was so cool, draping his jacket around Satsuki and embracing her to get everyone's eyes off her. _I_ don't even know if I'd have the guts to do something so cheesy."

"Shut up!" The blunette slapped Kagami's hand away, his face turning red despite the dark colour. It was responded with melodic laughter as the redhead sat between him and Wakamatsu.

The movie started soon enough. It was the extended edition, of course. All three of them watched in relative silence while munching on the huge pile of nachos that they destroyed pretty quickly. Thankfully, Aomine had a few bags of chips they could eat from too.

"If elves exist in real life, what would you do?" Aomine asked out of the blue when Galadriel appeared on the screen. 

"I dunno, live like I normally would?" Wakamatsu commented flatly.

"C'mon, they're sexy as fuck. Don't you wanna bang 'em?"

"Is that all you have in your head?"

"Don't even lie to me, Wakamatsu. You'd totally bone 'em if they come to you."

"I mean, _sure,_ " He ran his fingers through his hair. "Fine, okay. Yeah, I would. Shut up."

"Hah, knew you would. What about you, Kagami?" Aomine nudged his friend with his elbow.

"I wonder if elves are good at basket..." At that stupid response, both his friends only gaped at him in disbelief.

Wakamatsu was the first to laugh. He put Kagami in a headlock and knocked on his skull. "Is basket all you got in that head?"

"Buzz off, if they're not good at basket, I'm not interested!" He ducked away from his cackling friends. "Elves aren't my type anyway. They look like they'll snap in half. I like someone more durable."

"I've been thinking about this, but..." Aomine narrowed his eyes. "Are you into guys, Kagami?" The steaming red face he received made him red too. "Shit. Then between me and Wakamatsu, which one's—"

"Tatsuya!" He slammed a pillow into Aomine's face and stormed off into the toilet.

"Did I just get beaten by his brother? Wait, Kagami, that's the same as me saying I find Satsuki hot! That's borderline incestuous!" Aomine glared at Wakamatsu. "Just to make it clear, _I'm_ hotter than you." With that, he stood up, chased after Kagami and started banging on the toilet door.

"Why do you have to turn everything into a competition..." Wakamatsu shook his head but had to admit that he saw Aomine in a new light that day. And honestly, it wasn't so bad.

.

Wakamatsu regretted his life choices. Two hours into the movie and he returned from the toilet to Aomine sucking Kagami's neck and playing with his nipples.

He landed a hard chop on the ace's head and glared at him. "Keep it in your pants. Please consider _my_ presence too."

"I didn't ask you to be here. Go away, I wanna fuck Kagami." He said while pulling the redhead into his chest.

Kagami felt his face heating up. Any loud arguments that Wakamatsu exchanged with Aomine went straight past his head as he enjoyed the feel of Aomine's arms around him. He didn't know when exactly it started but his heart always thumped wildly whenever they cuddled.

"Oi, Kagami, why're you so docile!?" The platinum blonde growled when Kagami hugged Aomine back. The blue-haired asshole gave him a smug grin that he wanted to punch so badly. "You guys are the worst. I'm gonna go to the convenience store to grab some more snacks. You better be finished when I'm back!"

When the front door was slammed shut, Aomine licked his lips. He lowered the obedient Kagami down to the floor and was about to feast. "Now that the nuisance is gone..."

"I heard there's a movie night!" It was Satsuki's voice ringing cheerfully through the entrance. Her footsteps were light and quick, she reached the pillow fort in record time. "Dai-chan, scandalous!!!" She squealed in horror.

"Aomine-kun. Pervert." It was Kuroko who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"You guys aren't invited! Go away!"

"Ohh, it sure is lively here just as you said, Momoi-chan."

"Tatsuya!?" Kagami jerked up and peeked out of the pillow fort to see his brother coming with a very sleepy Murasakibara in tow.

"All of you, get out of my house!" Was Aomine's horrified reaction that was immediately met with a glare of disapproval from the redhead that said 'if you kick him out, I'm out'. That was enough to make him grumble.

"We brought some snacks. But wow, this is some nice pillow fort you got here, Aomine." Himuro smiled a chilling smile that made the bluehead back away from Kagami. Murasakibara was quick to enter the modest area surrounded with chairs, cushion, sofa and blanket. Almost immediately, he leaned back and made himself comfortable.

Satsuki crawled inside too with Kuroko, leaving Kagami and Aomine with almost no space. However, Himuro somehow found a way to squeeze himself between the double aces before putting an arm around Kagami's shoulder so casually while giving Aomine a smug smirk.

"You bastard..." The dark-skinned male hissed competitively.

"What? I'm just spending time with my brother."

"Kagami!" When he looked at the redhead, that fucker, he looked so damn _happy_ it was illegal. With a defeated grumble, Aomine hugged his knees and looked away.

Wakamatsu arrived back at some point to see a whole lot of uninvited people. He was pleased, however, because it meant the Touou aces wouldn't be able to do anything naughty. The big group now chatted away as they watched Lord of The Rings. The snacks were quickly demolished and they had to order pizza delivery from a 24-hours branch nearby. Those got destroyed pretty quickly too.

At some point, Satsuki fell asleep on Kuroko's shoulder, Wakamatsu sprawled outside the pillow fort like a starfish, Himuro and Murasakibara in the corner together.

Kagami held Aomine's hand when he started nodding off at 3 AM. He pressed his body flush into the blunette's strong embrace as he gave him a smile.

"Not a bad night, right?"

"This was your plan all along, wasn't it?" He scowled. He would've been happy spending some time with Kagami, but he had to admit that this was a nice, lively crowd that drowned out all the voices in his head.

"Mm. Can't have you feeling lonely when I'm not here." The redhead nuzzled his nose in the curve of Aomine's neck and gave his hand a firm, reassuring squeeze.

The throbbing in Aomine's heart grew as he listened to Kagami's soft snore that soon, made him fall into a deep slumber too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't resist... Himuro and Murasakibara are so cute <3 I might make them a background pairing... when I'm not too busy rambling about AoKaga!
> 
> Hope this chapter wasn't too boring <3 The matches will pick back up at chapter 13! For now, it's fluff and sex time XD


	11. A Helping Hand

Touou's summer training camp was to take place in a secluded area of Tokyo for one whole week. Satsuki had written everyone's personalised training menu that she had yet to announce, but they all knew that they were in for a hellish, gruesome week, considering the huge smile on her face. They couldn't complain either since they asked for it.

The trip there took about three hours with eleven of Touou's best-performing members in the minibus. Currently, they were eating Kagami and Sakurai's homemade snacks as they talked away.

"This senbei is amazing. You gotta teach me how to make 'em sometimes." The redhead twirled the crunchy treat to admire it while Sakurai rubbed the back of his neck shyly at the compliment.

"Sakurai, marry me," Some of the second string boys screamed out. "And Kagami too!"

"You guys are overreacting. They're nothing special." Said Kagami. Despite that, both cooks grinned and blushed. There was no greater compliment than people thoroughly enjoying their food.

Rock music blasted from the radio as they screwed around playing uno, old maid and big two. It was a typical excursion view, but there was one person missing.

"Where's Aomine!?" Kagami snapped instead of calling 'uno'.

"Tai-chan, draw four!" After hearing the 'shit' out of the redhead's mouth, Satsuki smiled. "Dai-chan's not feeling well, so he's going to pass."

"That _bastard_!!" Wakamatsu and Kagami said at the same time, their fingers balled into fists.

"Now, now, it can't be helped!" Even though there was a small pout on Satsuki's lips that fooled the two idiots in the room, the smarter ones noticed that Satsuki was hiding something. There was no way she'd let Aomine off the hook otherwise.

"How are you so relaxed? He's missing practice again. Usually, you're the one who hounds him. Besides, he'll only listen to you so you were our last hope." Kagami grumbled.

"I think there's one more person that he listens to. Don't sell yourself short, ace. Maybe it's _your_ fault that he's not here." Imayoshi commented, glasses glinting behind his poker cards.

"Shit. You're right." Kagami paled before he rummaged through his pocket to find his phone.

"Imayoshi, why did you do that?" Susa shook his head while the captain only snickered.

"Why, because we need some entertainment. And our double aces bickering is always comedy gold," Sure enough, just after he said that, Kagami screamed into the phone to complain about what a 'pile of useless, lazy sack of shit' his partner was. "Ahh, youth."

"You sound like a grandpa," The brunette cringed. "I fear for the basketball club next year. Can you imagine those two being senpai?"

"Good thing I won't be here. We'll be relying on you, soon-to-be captain!" The bespectacled male tapped Wakamatsu's shoulder.

"...I want to graduate already." The blond sighed tiredly. Being a captain was an honour, but having to make sure Aomine and Kagami wouldn't stab—scratch that, wouldn't fuck when they were supposed to practice? Yeah, no.

"He hung up on me," Kagami glared at his phone, then turned towards Sakurai. "He hung up on me!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" The poor thing panicked.

"Satsuki, is he really sick? Idiots don't get sick!" The redhead complained only for Satsuki to shrug.

"It's okay, not like he'll do any training if we force him to come. You know how he is. The best thing we do right now is to ignore him, then he'd be more likely to come around himself."

"You are a genius." He shot her a pair of awestruck eyes.

"He's so easy to fool..." Susa laughed along with the others. "But I wonder what's going on. She's in a good mood even though Aomine practically skipped one week worth of training."

"Is he doing secret training by himself?" Someone suggested. There was a long pause before everyone collectively shook their heads.

"No way. Nooooo way."

The group soon arrived at the villa they would be staying at for one week. It was a large, elevated wood house in the middle of a clearing in the wood. There was a barren patch in front of it where a campfire would sit and next to it were two well-maintained basketball courts. All in all, it looked like a nice group outing except with bone-breaking training.

The first thing everyone did was unpack their belongings and sorted out the rooming arrangement. Kagami unsurprisingly would be bunking with Wakamatsu while the others were also broken in pairs. Satsuki got a room alone.

"Thank god Aomine's not coming." Wakamatsu sighed, deeply relieved.

"Never thought I'd hear that coming from you." Susa commented in confusion.

"Trust me," The blond shuddered. "You _don't_ want him rooming with Kagami. None of us will get any sleep."

A lightbulb clicked on his head, then he laughed. "Yeah, okay. I see what you mean. Wait, Imayoshi, what are you doing?"

"Hm?" He pocketed his phone with a devious smirk still on his face. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

A few seconds later, they heard Wakamatsu's phone ringing. When he picked it up, they all heard a loud scream that tore through the entire forest.

 _"WAKAMATSU! You better not lay a fucking finger on Kagami, got it? GOT IT!? Only_ I'm _allowed to fuck him. I'll gut you and snap your neck if you do!"_

"...You really have a bad personality."

"Are they dating or something?" Came the million-dollar question from a second-stringer. "N-not that there's anything _wrong_ with it. But Aomine-san always goes on and on about boobs and... isn't he dating Momoi-san?"

Wakamatsu knew the reason why, thanks to that movie night, but he wasn't a douchebag, so he kept quiet. "It's complicated. Kagami and Aomine aren't dating, though."

No one seemed to understand but again, neither did he. Those two always fought off-court, synergise on-court and were practically lovers at night? It was confusing, so he'd rather not think about it.

Meanwhile, the redhead in the topic was so red in embarrassment at what Aomine just proclaimed in front of everyone. He growled and started aggressively typing on his phone to send a message cursing the blunette for being such an inconsiderate ass.

"Are you guys seeing this!?" Kagami pointed at his screen. "He texted me a poop emoji in response. A fucking _poop emoji_. I hate him so much. _So_ much."

Even as they unpacked their belongings and got ready for the first training of the day, Kagami wouldn't stop shit-talking Aomine with a permanent blush on his face. In the end, no one could guess what their relationship actually was.

Well, perhaps that was for the best because both aces certainly didn't know either.

.

"Aomine-kun sure is insensitive." Kuroko commented flatly after peeking through his friend's text messages.

Aomine, already used to Kuroko's shenanigans (at least for that day), didn't even jump in shock anymore. He flinched a little but ultimately grinned mischievously. "How else am I gonna bully him when he's so far away?"

"Kagami-kun will never love you if you keep this up."

"I don't want his love, thank you very much!" At the blank, borderline judgmental look Kuroko gave him, he stood up took a chug from his water bottle.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to not join the camp?" The shorter male trailed after his friend who already had a basketball in his hand that he soon rolled from one arm to the other before dribbling it back and forth under his legs.

"Yeah. I don't play well with anyone else there anyway. Seeing them is just gonna drain my motivation since they're all shit," Aomine replied before throwing the ball from behind him with one hand. It entered the hoop without touching the ring. "'sides, what I need isn't normal training. You're the only one I trust when it comes to passes."

Kuroko didn't even bother hiding his happiness. He gave Aomine a smile that made the other turn away in embarrassment. "Okay, then let's start with the basic."

They began with straight and side tosses where neither moved. Thankfully, Aomine could do that much. Next was passing while side-stepping that worried Kuroko because he could immediately see cracks in his friend— one of the most basic, yet he seemed to be struggling. Then, there was the passing while one person moved.

"You're too slow!" Aomine yelled as the ball rolled away.

"Aomine-kun, you have to consider the person you're passing it to... Please don't throw it so far ahead. That was exactly how Kagami-kun got knocked out."

"Urghh. Fine! Again." This time, the bluehead took his time to watch Kuroko's approach from his left, then threw it at him.

Right into his face.

"Do you want to die, Aomine-kun?"

"My bad, my bad!" He reflexively backed off as his friend wiped the blood off his nose.

"Not only speed, but you also have to consider your target's reach and height too. For now, please get used to passing to me."

Both of them then fell into rhythm for about thirty minutes. Kuroko alternated between approaching from Aomine's left and right, sometimes even from behind. He came to the conclusion that this man was absolutely horrible at passing.

"I have caught none of your passes so far."

"Shut up! You just suck!" The blunette jerked his head away and threw himself onto a bench before fanning his face with his hand. It was a hot day which didn't help his temper.

"Aomine-kun," Kuroko walked towards him with a ball in hand. "When you pass, what do you imagine?"

"Not holding the ball."

"...Okay, we might have to rectify that," He sighed before lobbing the ball towards his friend who caught it with ease. "Please throw this into the ring."

Confused, Aomine approached the hoop and chucked the ball. It seamlessly entered the hoop and bounced back towards him. "Like that?"

"Yes. Now please pass to me," He did and it almost hit Kuroko in the face again. "I need you to imagine that passing is like scoring because sometimes, it really means that. Don't visualise me as someone who'd steal your ball, but someone who'd help you win points."

"I don't need any help."

Another sigh. "This is the problem with you, Aomine-kun. You realise that you cannot fight by yourself, back during the match against Rakuzan. That's why you're here. Passing doesn't signify incapability but a strong drive to win," He threw the ball back towards his friend. "Close your eyes and imagine that my hands are the hoop."

Now Aomine looked confused. "Huh?" But he did it anyway. Instead of Kuroko, he pictured a shorter hoop that looked funny, it almost made him snort. He knew that if he laughed Kuroko was just going to slam into his side and make him double over in pain, so he resisted.

"Now, Aomine-kun. Score."

With one hand, the dark-skinned male pushed the ball just underneath Kuroko's chest that he easily caught. "There we go. Easy, right?"

That felt _good_. Aomine grinned when he realised that he just made a successful pass.

"Well, I suppose we'll start with image training today. Let's try that again." With a smile, Kuroko returned the ball into his friend's hands.

.

Everything was according to plan. Satsuki ditched most of the individual training regiment but increased everything that required teamwork. For instance, right now. She pulled some strings, thanks to her parents who were higher education teachers, and managed to get ten college students together. They were a couple of well-established teams with pretty darn good team play.

As for Kagami, she sent him away for a long, long jog followed with many reps of legs training. So it was safe to say he wouldn't be returning any time soon. His ability to play with others was actually quite passable, so she decided to torture him another way. Besides, she wanted to show Aomine that Kagami hadn't stopped evolving.

She could see how much everyone struggled to keep up even though their individual skills were better than the older ones. Without Aomine and Kagami to brute force the match, they were forced to take loss upon loss until they realised they needed to gel better as a team. It was kinda painful to watch such strong players being beaten black and blue like that, but it was well-deserved.

"How are they keep beating us!?" Wakamatsu groaned as he wiped off his sweat using a small towel. The blond threw himself onto the bench in frustration.

"I suppose this shows just how far we can go as individuals," Imayoshi was no less tired but his voice was composed. "Never thought I'd see that day where I'd say that."

"Well... t-that's why we're here in the first place... right?" Sakurai added.

"No time for chitchat. Let's get back to it!" Said Susa with a deep breath.

The five members made their way to the court once more, all under Satsuki's watchful eyes. The frustration was heavy in the air despite how motivated they tried to be. It was natural, since for the past thirty minutes, they had done nothing but get their plays read and balls stolen. The summer heat wasn't helping either. Wakamatsu was far more explosive now, screaming and yelling at poor Sakurai who looked like he was about to cry. Imayoshi was a lot more silent, shrugging off everyone who tried to speak to him.

Susa _tried_ to be reasonable and so was the other first-year from the second string, Taro, but with tension so thick in the air, there was nothing they could do.

Their opponent was relentless. They shot a thumb's up at Satsuki who echoed the gesture. This was perfectly fine. There was no doubt in her mind that everyone would bounce back closer than ever. Tear the muscles to make them stronger and this was no different. After the summer camp, Touou would dominate.

And for Kagami, it was one of the worst weeks in his life. He was practically isolated from everyone and had to focus on his own training from hell. Satsuki hadn't held back but thank god she gave him enough time to recover. It was like she knew how much to push before it got too much. Not only were his legs screaming at him at the end of the week, but he was also damn horny. Rooming with Wakamatsu meant he only had time to jerk off in the shower, but Kagami knew he was damn loud. Unfortunately for him, he didn't get anything out of his system.

As he ticked off the last rep on the list that should be called a scroll, Kagami sunk to his ass. He lied down there on the grass looking up at the sky through the tree leaves surrounding him. He could've cheated it and claimed that he did everything while Satsuki wasn't watching, but this training was for his own good. He was going to finish everything, go back to Aomine and stomp his ass in basket.

Kagami could just imagine it. Aomine on his knees, panting and almost passing out after not being able to score against him. Then the ace would say: 'I'm sorry for ever doubting you, Kagami-san!! Please accept my apology!'. It was enough to make the redhead chuckle proudly and thump his chest as if a second wind just coursed through him. "Apology accepted, Ahomine!"

The vibration on his phone snapped him out of it. With a deep breath, he opened the message to see Aomine's Snapchat with Kuroko, Midorima and Kise eating at Maji. It said: 'Having fun with the team? Better you than me lol'. With a groan, Kagami took a selfie of himself all covered in sweat and grumbling, complete with a bird flip to the screen. He captioned it with: 'Get ready to LOSE'.

That bastard, having fun doing nothing while he was here slaving away.

The redhead grabbed his towel, drink bottle and headed back towards the resort to take a much-needed shower. When he arrived at the hot spring, the other ten members of Touou was already there crowding the place. However, no one was speaking. All of them sat by themselves, crossed arms and the discord was so thick in the air that Kagami was tempted to leave.

Wakamatsu was still glaring daggers at Sakurai whose eyes were swollen red. Imayoshi looked downright _pissed_ and he emanated a murderous aura that got everyone on edge. Susa looked exasperated like he had already given up. The same could be said with the rest of the second string who quickly got up and left the hot spring. They all walked past Kagami without saying anything.

Opening his mouth to cut through the silence, Taro quickly stopped him. The big guy who was a bit shorter than Kagami shook his head. "Don't."

So Kagami didn't.

The tension persisted for four more days. With no one telling him what the fuck was happening, Kagami was on his wit's end until one day, he slammed the door towards their bedroom, anger boiling in his eyes.

"Okay, anyone wanna enlighten me or are you all just going to silently murder each other!?"

"Someone who hasn't touched the ball in four days shouldn't talk," Wakamatsu snapped which made everyone flinch. When the blond saw the startled look on his friend's face, he let out a breath. "Shit. Sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay. Just tell me what's going on." The redhead took a seat next to Wakamatsu while observing the rest of the members.

So, the centre told him everything. Starting from how they got demolished day after day and how everyone's plays quickly deteriorated from there. The blame game started and from there, everything spiralled into this. Wakamatsu explained it quietly, but everyone was so still that it didn't pass anyone's ears.

"I'm sorry—" Sakurai started.

"Shut the _fuck_ up." The blond snapped.

"Wakamatsu!" Kagami punched his shoulder. "Stop that. You're part of the problem too."

The boy in topic clicked his tongue and looked away.

Kagami never thought that he'd be the most clear-headed one out of the bunch, but after dealing with Aomine for so long, he more or less understood how to handle the heat. In a way, he had Aomine to thank for this increased level of patience.

"Losing sucks, but if you keep this up, you'll keep losing, you know? So... er, to not lose, you just have to gel better?"

Silence.

Then Susa snorted. "Yeah, Mr Eloquent." It was then followed by everyone's combined laughter that made Kagami absolutely red in shame.

"I have to admit that it was one of the worst pep-talk I've ever heard..." The captain chuckled along with the team. "But I get what you're trying to say. Teamwork has never been our strong suit, so we hate admitting that we're the weak link."

"Well, you guys are all shit at teamwork, so in a way, you're all the weak link." The redhead chipped in.

"And _you're_ not?" Wakamatsu ruffled Kagami's hair playfully. "But yeah, we're all here to get our shit together, so... whatever we're doing right now, we're doing it wrong."

"Finally we're getting somewhere," Susa shook his head. "Okay, then. Let's review what happened today and see where we can improve."

Outside the door, Satsuki stood with a pleased smile. Things were finally falling into place and once again, Kagami came through. With a skip on her step, she headed to her own room.

.

As Wakamatsu said, Kagami had not touched a single ball the whole time he was there.

So, one could only imagine how hell-bent on steam-release he was at the end of the camp. He was finally allowed to participate in a game only to wreak havoc on the court. The team could've sworn this was Aomine they played with, not Kagami had it not been for the occasional passes.

"What did you do to him, Momoi?" Was Susa's horrified question after seeing the bloodbath. That tiger had all his claws out and after the massacre, was still dying for more.

The rest of the team looked way too dead to say anything while Satsuki only giggled. "You guys are looking fantastic. I can't wait for the Winter Cup." Especially after seeing everyone's performances for the past three days. These guys in black and red screamed Touou but they played like an entirely different team. The intensive seven-days did a lot to them even though it was still far from perfect.

Thanks to that session as well, she saw other potential members that could take the third year's spots once they graduated. With a hum, she entered the bus that was ready to take everyone back to civilisation.

It was eerily quiet all the way there because everyone passed out cold. Satsuki held out her phone and snapped a selfie with the dead bus, not forgetting to wink and hold up a peace sign. She sent it to the Miracles with the caption: 'sleep well, sweet princes~'.

And so, ended the training camp from hell. For the year, at least.

.

One whole week of doing anything but scoring. It was one of Aomine's least favourite weeks. Hell, he even played some two-on-two with Kise, Kuroko and Midorima but he did nothing but passing to the greenhead. It was damn frustrating not being allowed to throw into the ring. Everytime he was about to say fuck it and score, he felt Kuroko's death stare behind him, so he chickened out. If there was anyone he was scared of, it was that guy.

It went without saying that he and Midorima lost pretty horribly. His passes were sloppy and Kise could easily intercept it. No matter how hard he squinted, he didn't see any sign of improvement.

"Waste of time." Aomine threw the ball into the ring with a scoff. If he'd known it would be this pointless, he wouldn't have started it.

"Not entirely."

"Gaah!" Aomine leapt.

"You're getting better, Aomine-kun. Please don't forget that Kise-kun is no amateur, so of course, anything less than perfect would be punished."

It was replied with a shrug. "Maybe I'm just meant to play by myself. It's not worth the effort." He muttered, disgruntled. He didn't like not being able to do something when it came to basketball but at the same time, the question of why he wanted to try to better himself when he'd just quit after high school remained.

"Once you learn that there's something beyond individual plays, you'll see a whole different world. Besides, didn't you say you want to make sure Kagami-kun doesn't die next time you pass to him?" When he was replied with a scowl of agreement, Kuroko smiled. "So, what happened between the two of you?"

"Nothing. We're just sex buddies."

"Doesn't sound like it," He blinked. "Aomine-kun, he's the only other person aside from Momoi that you want to make happy. You can't tell me you think of Kagami-kun as your _brother_. After all, you do not have sex with Momoi."

"Urrgh! Don't ask me hard questions!" He grabbed his basketball and walked out of the street court along with his friend. "Hell if I know what we are. As far as I'm concerned, we're friends."

"Friends, huh?" Kuroko smiled.

"Well... at least that's what he said," Aomine muttered with his bottom lip sticking out, then he rubbed the back of his head. "He helped me through some shit, so I kinda wanna return the favour. Or something. It's lame."

"Not at all. In some way, he has helped everyone he played against. There is simply no way anyone would be unaffected by his passion. You saw how he even riled Murasakibara-kun up."

"I guess."

"So I think it's very kind of you to want to look out for him. It's very un-Aomine-kun-like and it's nice."

"Ughh... don't say something embarrassing like that." He hissed at being called 'nice'. It wasn't something anyone associated with him and it felt strange to hear it. Still, it was true that he wanted to make sure Kagami was well taken care of because thanks to him, Aomine was able to sleep at night now. It wasn't a full eight like he would hope, but four hours were certainly better than none.

So, in his own way, he wanted to express his gratitude. He was no good with words, but hopefully, his action would get through to the redhead.

Kuroko quietly walked next to Aomine while occasionally glancing his way. It felt like forever since they went home together after basketball practice. This was undoubtedly thanks to Kagami, so Kuroko wanted to make sure that Aomine wouldn't screw this up. Kagami took care of everyone in his own way but he needed someone to take care of him too.

"Ah, Momoi told me that today is the last day of the training camp. Are you going to see Kagami-kun?"

"Oh, crap! That's today, isn't it?" He quickly checked his phone to see that the last message from his friend came two hours ago. Ever since then, nothing. "Yeah, I'm going now. I wanna see him struggle to walk after what Satsuki put him through. It'd be hilarious to see him crawling. I'll take pictures. Bye!"

Without waiting for Kuroko's response, he ran towards the train station and impatiently waited to reach the destination. Once it did, he made a beeline straight to Kagami's place with a huge grin on his face. It had been one whole week he hadn't heard that stupid voice or see that equally stupid face.

The familiar apartment came into view soon enough. Aomine started knocking on the door but after three seconds of quiet, there was still no answer. So he banged harder.

"Oi, Bakagami! Open up." He said loudly, but there was still no response. "Is he still out?" That didn't stop him from turning the knob and pushing the door. It was unlocked.

The first thing he saw was Kagami passed out on the genkan and the blunette paled. "119!" His fingers hovered over his smartphone but he had enough reason in him to see if his friend was dead or not. He turned the redhead over and started slapping his cheek.

"Nngh..." Kagami grumbled but refused to open his eyes. Instead, he closed them even tighter.

"God. I thought you were dead." With a sigh, he grabbed the redhead by the legs and dragged him towards the bedroom where he hoisted the heavy basketball player and threw him on the soft mattress. All that and Kagami still didn't stir.

Aomine quickly checked the time that pointed at seven at night. Then, he put an ear against Kagami's stomach but heard no loud growling which meant he already had something to eat. For a few minutes, Aomine stood there next to the bed with his arms crossed. Obviously, Kagami was out of action and he wouldn't be able to bother the guy. Aomine didn't know what to do now. Should he just leave?

Then he noticed the stench of sweat lingering in the air that made him want to throw up.

"Fuck, you smell like an actual dumpster." Without saying anything else, Aomine took off Kagami's white t-shirt and chucked them to the corner of the room. Next to go was his pants, then his boxer.

Silence.

Aomine ended up staring intently at Kagami's naked body. He knew that the redhead was stacked but to actually observe him like this made the taller male appreciate the contours of his body even more. Kagami's skin was nicely tanned and while those six-packs were less defined than Aomine's, the sub-ace made up for it with his stupidly hard pecs, bulging biceps and calf muscles that were to die for.

The blunette squeezed said calf muscles and made an appreciative hum at how rock hard they were. He could also feel the knots thanks to all the training he must've done under Satsuki's guidance. Idly, he started massaging them and noticed how Kagami stirred in his sleep.

"Mm..." He lightly moaned at the pleasing sensation.

"Well." Aomine chuckled. That sounded way sexual. He wanted to hear it again, so he continued working those knots until moans of approval became louder and louder. Aomine only stopped five minutes later when he realised that he was getting hard. Quickly, he withdrew his hands and used them to facepalm instead. "The fuck am I doing?"

With that wake-up call, he grabbed some fresh clothes from the dresser and started putting it on Kagami. Just a modest shirt, boxer and shorts.

"See, don't tell me I never do anything for you," Aomine put his hands on his hips as he observed the blissfully unaware redhead. A few seconds later, he lowered himself to his knees, crossed his arms on the edge of the bed and put his chin on them. "You actually look kinda cute when you're not talking." He found himself grinning while his hands unconsciously brushed the dark red bangs away from Kagami's forehead.

At least two minutes elapsed before the blunette stood up, grabbed six leftover croissants out of the fridge and put them in the oven like he owned the place. As he waited for them to cook, he texted Satsuki: _'Damn, you went hard.'_

 _'In my defense, they asked for it_ ✌️ _'_

Well, then she couldn't be blamed. Aomine flicked through the images she sent him of the training camp and laughed at how dead everyone seemed to be. There was even one with all members passed out on the dinner table with some unknown food Satsuki cooked up as murder evidence.

 _Hmm, they practised against college students._ The blunette lazily scrolled through the gallery. He stopped when he saw Kagami's mid-dunk photo. In it, he was in the air with both of his hands holding onto the basketball ring, eyes burning red and teeth clenched in a grin. Around him, sweat glistened in the sun while three lower arms could be seen on the bottom of the photo.

If there was a photo that summarised the Tiger, this was it. Radiant and brimming with energy. Aomine didn't waste any time in saving it.

After pocketing his phone, he took the croissants out of the oven, put them on a plate and left them on the nightstand along with a glass of water. Oh, he did steal one. He munched on the one he claimed as he grabbed the stray clothes and dumped them in the laundry bin. Then, he entered the bathroom and prepared a hot bath for himself.

When he returned twenty minutes later, the plate and glass was empty, and Kagami had rolled over to face the wall.

"Shoo." Aomine pushed the beefy redhead so he could lie down. Like Kagami, he was tired too. Kuroko and the others worked him to the bone with the stupid passes that still got him frustrated to this point.

It didn't take long for him to fall asleep to Kagami's steady, rhythmic breathing.

.

Kagami was running on zero in his tank. Satsuki was nice enough to escort him home and making sure that he wouldn't faint on the street, but the moment the apartment door was closed, he blacked out. His face immediately hit his thankfully fluffy duffel bag filled with dirty clothes.

He didn't register anything that happened after then. However, when he saw the hot croissants on the nightstand, he gobbled them down like his life depended on it. It was just enough for his nightly snack. After chugging the glass of water, he passed back out without thinking about how those things even got there.

His eyes fluttered open in the middle of the night and he saw Aomine's back through his half-opened eyelids. He was about to stroke that fluffy blue hair, but his consciousness slipped out of him again. His hand went limp.

When he woke up in the morning, his apartment was empty.

The redhead sat up, rubbed his eyes, yawned and stretched his body with a satisfying groan. What a nice morning, waking up in his comfortable bed. Strangely enough, his legs were not as sore as he thought they'd be. He hit his thighs and calf muscles a few times but the pain was barely there. It was as if someone massaged him. How strange.

The plate and glass he remembered from last night weren't there anymore. Neither was Aomine.

"Was I imagining things?" He grumbled as he got up and noticed that his clothes... were fresh? Now, _that_ was weird. Kagami quickly checked his duffel bag to see that it had been emptied and his dirty laundry had magically transferred themselves into the laundry bin. "...What the hell." He narrowed his eyes as he paced back and forth in the living room.

Who the hell entered and took care of him? It was nice of them to do that and Kagami would seriously smooch them if he found out. Was it Satsuki who came back after sensing something was amiss? Like her woman's intuition tingled or whatever? But then, she would probably burn the croissants into ash if that was the case.

Kuroko? That was a more plausible explanation. But why on earth would he do all that? Knowing the boy, he would probably just open the door and leave again. Wakamatsu, maybe? That also didn't make any sense. He would be way too tired to be babying Kagami. Besides, the redhead saw with his own two eyes that the blond already hopped into the bus that would take him home.

Then _who_? Aomine? Yeah, right. No fucking way that guy would do something that nice.

Wait.

He dreamt of Aomine sleeping with him, right?

Kagami ran back into the bedroom, grabbed the pillow and sniffed it.

It smelt like his shampoo but there was a hint of that deodorant Aomine always used. His heart suddenly began thumping loudly. Did Aomine really do all that yesterday? That thought was so surreal, Kagami couldn't believe it. So, he paced towards the bathroom only to find the damning evidence that yes, Aomine was here. Under his dirty clothes in the laundry stack, he saw the blunette's panther-print shirt and his face immediately combusted into red.

Kagami crouched on the floor, head buried in his knees as he tried to tame his flaming cheeks. "What the hell... seriously..." There was a huge grin on his face while his head pictured his friend dragging him to bed, changing his clothes, preparing some snacks and even cleaning up afterwards. It was very un-Aomine-like, but that was the truth, wasn't it?

Kagami was still thinking about the scenario. It replayed over and over in his head as he finished his large breakfast and readied himself for the day. He wanted to see Aomine as soon as possible. Of course, he wouldn't say that he found out about the cute things the blunette did because it would only be met with heavy resistance. Still, Kagami wanted to thank him for bothering to do all that.

He was putting his shoes on when loud banging came from the door. With a groan, he opened it to see the man he wanted to visit.

"Yo." Aomine greeted with his hands shoved in his pocket. There was no blush on his cheeks but he employed that nervous body language that only cemented Kagami's theory.

"Aho. Good morning," The redhead gave his friend a bright grin that coaxed a surprised flinch. "C'mon!" Kagami locked the door, grabbed the bluehead's wrist and ran down the stairs.

"Wait, where are we going!?"

Kagami turned around slightly and laughed, but didn't stop running. "What, play basket, of course!"


	12. Gold Sky and Promises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I thought adding the content list in a chapter is confusing, so I removed it and added it on chp 1 note instead! Anyway, enjoy this gross fluff before I destroy you guys with more angst~ chap 10-15 are rollercoasters you see
> 
> ALSO!!! AO3 SAID THAT I SURPASSED 1M WORDS WRITTEN ON THIS PLATFORM SO YAY
> 
> Thanks for reading and telling me what you think! <3

"It's... summer!" Satsuki was practically brimming with joy when she barged into Aomine's place uninvited, donned in a white floral sleeveless, short, flowy dress. Her getup was made complete with a straw hat that had a big pink ribbon tied around it. She ignored the two men who were half-naked and on top of each other. "And we're going to the beach. So chop chop, boys. Let's pack up!"

"Can't you read the situation better here!?" Aomine was the first to yell while Kagami scrambled away from him while desperately reaching for his shirt to cover his hard-on.

"I don't have any more time to wait for you to finish being naughty!" She put her hands on her hips and pouted. "So go pack up quickly! My parents are taking us there. I'd better see you in fifteen minutes, okay?" With that, she exited out of the house, leaving the two men staring at the door.

"...Uhm," Kagami cleared his throat. "Let's go?"

"Fuck that woman," Despite his blunt words, he stood up and headed for the bedroom anyway. "My clothes are okay with you, right?" He practically dumped half of his barebone dresser into a duffel bag, not forgetting to grab some boxers.

"A bit tight, but I'll take the loose ones. Grab the boardshorts too." The redhead said as he rummaged through Aomine's nightstand to grab lube, condoms (that they would _definitely_ need) and sunscreen. He spotted a pair of sunnies, so he took those too.

Between both of them, they finished preparing everything quickly. Aomine zipped the disorganised bag while Kagami collected the worn basketball just in case they needed it. It took them only five minutes to get ready. Another two for them to be somewhat presentable and hopped into the minivan waiting for them outside.

"Afternoon." The bluehead casually said as he threw himself on the three-seaters located on the back. There were two other seats facing them and a table to separate between middle and rear. Satsuki claimed one of them while Kagami joined Aomine.

"Uhm, good afternoon, Momoi-san." The redhead was more polite since he hadn't met these two parental figures before.

"You must be the Kagami-kun we've heard so much about!" Satsuki's mother who shared her beautiful features immediately regarded him. "Thank you for taking care of Daiki. He's a bit of a handful, but he's a good kid."

"Handful is right." Kagami chuckled while Aomine scowled.

"I bet. He's practically our own son, so we know full well what troublemaker he is! Oh, I'm Kiyoko, by the way. This is Kojiro."

That was replied with a chuckle from the shorter male. From the rear-view mirror, he saw Satsuki's father nodding with a smile. "I never asked, but where are your parents, Aomine?"

The flinch was visible and the low growl audible. Kagami regretted asking that question, but it was too late.

"He's busy, so he's away most of the time." Satsuki was the one to answer. There was a tinge of sadness behind her voice.

"Glad to be away from that cheating fucker. I don't wanna see his face anyway."

"Dai-chan!" She reprimanded but it was brushed off.

"Uh, it's okay. Sorry for asking," He didn't want to ruin this holiday mood despite his curiosity. A topic change was in order to not sour Aomine's mood more than necessary. It was bad enough that he didn't get to cum earlier. "Anyway, which beach are we headed to?"

Satsuki's parents were relieved to see that no yelling matches would start now. The dad was the first to answer with glee. "Kamakura! We have a friend who owns a resort there, so she happily offered us three rooms. Are you boys happy with sharing? Otherwise, Daiki can join Satsu."

"We'll share." Aomine said a bit too quickly while Satsuki gave them a shit-eating grin.

The redhead scrolled through his phone for a few seconds before a huge smile grew. "It said that the waves are great right now."

"Oh?" Satsuki's father raised his eyebrows. "You're a surfer, Kagami-kun?"

"Yeah, I learned a thing or two since I lived near the beach in America," Kagami wasn't aware of the surprised look from Aomine because he was too busy looking for the best equipment rental stores. "It's been a while, though. I hope I don't make myself look stupid."

"You already look stupid."

"Shut the hell up!" Kagami kicked Aomine's foot even though he wasn't offended. Their bickering was slowly becoming the new normal. He was convinced that the day they didn't have that kind of back and forth was the day their friendship ended.

"Heh. I know," Aomine grinned. "Let's get a babe each and have a foursome."

"No."

"You could at least give it more thought. Party pooper," The blunette shoved his hands in his pocket and lowered himself on the seat. "Why can't we go to Onjuku like last year? So many hot foreigners there."

"Daiki! You are too young to be thinking about that. Please enjoy the beach like a normal teenager, will you?" Satsuki's mother rolled her eyes.

"What's the fun in beach trips, then?" He moaned his protest that only led to more scolding.

"By the way, you never told me why you didn't come to the summer camp." Kagami tore his attention away from his phone and scowled at Aomine who shrugged.

"I was sick."

"You totally weren't." Kagami then looked at Satsuki who had a pleased expression on her face. Either she was a sadist who drew happiness from her friend's illness or they were both in a cahoot and were hiding something.

"Dai-chan, shouldn't you tell Kagamin?" She hummed.

"I don't owe this guy anythin'!" That was a lie. Aomine owed Kagami a whole lot. He knew this, so he crossed his arms and harrumphed. "Nothing special. I just had to do something else."

"Something else... more important than training? We have winter cup soon, you know! Everyone did their best with their teamwork practice and you were out there probably reading your stupid Mai-chan—"

"Hey! We draw the line on talking smack about Mai-chan!"

Kagami rolled his eyes. "You better not hold the team down, okay? We're winning against Rakuzan next time for sure."

"Yeah, as long as you don't get elbowed in the face again."

There was silence as Kagami curled his lips. "Sorry," He twiddled his thumbs while Aomine looked at him with a confused frown. "It was my fault that we lost, wasn't it? I made you lose your groove."

"Eh, couldn't be helped. Everyone played like shit after you got carted off."

"That's wrong," Satsuki cut in with a pout. "Everyone did amazing but you still went against the opponents all by yourself. Did you know that Rakuzan members left their marks so they could _all_ guard you, knowing full well you wouldn't pass?"

"Sheeesh, yeah, you said that a million times before. Get off my case." The bluehead rolled his eyes while Satsuki lectured him some more, all accompanied by Kagami's nods of agreement.

The trip there took an hour, but it was a fun hour. Satsuki's parents were hospitable and they treated Kagami like they had known him their entire lives and it made him feel comfortable. Besides, it was funny to see everyone dissing Aomine.

"Freedom at last!" Satsuki stretched her limbs the moment they found parking.

"We'll take care of the luggage. You kids can go play immediately." The two adults said and none of the younger ones complained.

Aomine was the first to leave, followed by Satsuki and then Kagami. They had a pre-prepared basket full of beach supplies—a large mat, foldable umbrella, oil and sunscreen.

"I'm gonna go rent a surfboard!" The redhead said as he took off his top and dumped it on the mat. He ran towards the highest-rating rental shop and came back with a good quality dark red surfboard with white stripes.

When he arrived back on their mat, Aomine was already in his shirtless glory _plus_ the sunglasses that made him look like sex incarnate. Honestly, Kagami was tempted to just stand there and imagine the ten different ways he'd like to have the blunette's dick up his ass right now. Or mouth. He didn't care, as long as one of his two openings was filled.

It had been about three months since they started this sex buddy relationship but never before had his libido skyrocketed like this. Except maybe the first time they met. Aomine just had this... effortless swagger about him.

Kagami admired the way his friend's back muscles rolled when he eased up from his half-lying down position to... somewhere. His steps were angry, and when Kagami looked up, he realised why.

Satsuki was being surrounded by unruly men. Already. The girl looked indifferent. If anything, she seemed to be humouring them but Kagami could see that she was about to smack one of them with her balled fist. Honestly, Kagami was pretty sure Satsuki had a self-defense training considering how unfazed she seemed to be.

Satsuki being Satsuki, she didn't like dramas. So she was content to wait until Aomine grabbed her wrist and yell something at the boys before dragging her back towards the mat.

The pinkette leaned towards her friend with one arm around his waist. She giggled and from that distance, Kagami could hear her mutter, "Thank god you came. I was about to break their arms." that sent a chill down his spine.

"Why do you think I bail you out all the time? I know you'll get carried away and accidentally murder all of them. You're naggy as fuck but I don't want you to get arrested."

"Aw, Dai-chan!" She stood on her tiptoes and kissed her friend on the cheek.

"Stay with me, okay?" He mumbled as they sat back down on the mat. Aomine rubbed some sunscreen into his palms and applied it on Satsuki's back.

The whole time, Kagami just watched. He knew that they were just 'siblings', much like him and Himuro, but to be honest, he was quite jealous of how tenderly Aomine treated Satsuki. He wasn't afraid to do it in public whereas when it came to Kagami, Aomine had to actively hide it, much like that time after the summer camp.

With a pit on the bottom of his stomach, Kagami hurried towards the water. A few rounds of surfing should be able to distract him.

.

Aomine remembered that time Satsuki broke someone's arm by accident.

It was their first day on junior high when he left to peek at the basketball team. He returned to the large tree somewhere behind the school where Satsuki said she'd wait for him only to see her putting a foot on a boy's back whose arms were tied behind him, locked in a vice grip by Satsuki's dainty fingers. The poor thing was practically sobbing in pain by the time Aomine came close enough.

"Hi Dai-chan!" She said as she pulled away from the boy. A distinct _crack_ could be heard, followed by a scream. Satsuki let go with an 'oops'. At the horrified look given to her, she twirled her ponytail and stuck out her bottom lip. "He grabbed my chest and flipped my skirt."

"Oh. Okay. Yeah, I guess he deserves it, then."

From that day on, Aomine swore to never piss her off that badly and to also rip her away from the creeps before she 'accidentally' broke another arm. Save her from herself, if you may. It certainly wasn't because Satsuki couldn't protect herself. On the contrary, she could do it a bit _too_ well that it'd get her a one-way ticket to the prison cell one day.

As he lounged on the mat under the parasol, Satsuki leaned against him while reading a magazine and sipping on a mocktail. When she looked up at the waves, she lowered her sunglasses and pointed. "Look, it's Kagamin!"

Sure enough, there he was in a half-squat position, his arms extended as he zigzagged through the waves that threatened to engulf him. For a moment, Aomine thought he wouldn't come out, but he was wrong. Kagami exited the wave and turned his body sideways to finish in a sleek, mesmerising layback snap. With straight back, he let the board took him back to the shore before he kicked it up to his hand.

"Holy shit." He mumbled in awe. That was way too cool.

"Tai-chan's so awesome," Satsuki glanced towards her lovestruck friend mischievously. "I might make a move on him..."

"What!? No, you can't!" The defensive reaction was immediate.

"Why not? Any girl would be lucky to have him. He's sexy, passionate, cook well and is the right mix of innocent and devilish!" She teased some more even though she didn't have any intention to hit on the redhead.

"Because—" He stammered. "He's into guys! Yeah, he's into guys."

"And he said that he's not into girls?"

"...Uh... Well, no, but..."

"See!" She pointed towards the water again where Kagami was already surrounded by three girls. The man in the topic just laughed nervously while rubbing the back of his head that made Aomine ground his teeth.

What Satsuki said was true. If Kagami wanted to, he could be drowning in girls right now. Instead, he chose to play basketball and have sex with another guy. The thought of Kagami breaking off their arrangement annoyed Aomine more than he thought it would.

He sulked on the spot, knees folded into his chest and arms crossed above the caps as he watched the redhead jump back into the water and cut through the waves. Kagami was a damn sexy guy. That was the reason why the blunette was attracted to him, to begin with even though he was a virgin with both genders.

Aomine had always liked boobs and pretty face. He liked the idea of taking care of and protecting someone. Kagami? He could do that well on his own, but Aomine was attracted to him regardless. When their eyes first met, it was like his instinct went on overdrive, screaming 'that guy. That's the one'. It was probably the best decision he made in his life.

But now, he was probably getting too attached to the redhead. Aomine didn't think he liked guys, but if he had to choose one, it'd be Kagami. For a muscular guy who was experienced with sex, he had this softness about him that triggered Aomine's protectiveness even though so far, it had always been Kagami who helped him.

Kagami was always shining no matter what he did. Right now, he was just as bright. The water rippled all around him, glinting under the harsh sunlight that accentuated his defined muscles. Even at that distance, Aomine could imagine the laser focus employed by the male. The blunette could only watch in awe as Kagami carved through the wave. His body alternated between a squat, half-squat and hunch and his arms adjusted accordingly. His thick waist turned with the water while his strong legs kept his whole being grounded.

Once he reached the peak of the short wave, he twisted his body. His surfboard flicked, turned and he slid seamlessly down after the breathtaking roundhouse cutback.

"I'm going." He finally said as he stood up.

"Have fun," Satsuki replied in a singsong tone before lying on her front and put her sunglasses back up. "Boys. So predictable." She hummed.

.

Kagami just finished his third go in the waves and was about to get ready for the next one when he saw Aomine approaching, still with his sunnies on. He had a small pout on his lips as he casually strolled towards the shore, not aware of the attention his glistening brown skin attracted.

"Yo." He did a flick salute with two fingers while his other hand was stuffed in his shorts pocket.

"Hey, stranger. Finally ready to swim?" Kagami grinned while brushing his wet red hair back. That seemed to stop the other male in his track for a split second.

"Teach me how to surf," Said Aomine, fingers now tracing the stiff surface of the board while the other putting the sunnies into his pocket. The redhead was quiet for a moment. He didn't expect that at all. "It's not fair that you're the only one making panties drop."

Oh, if only Aomine knew what he did to panties (and boxers) by just existing.

With a blush, Kagami turned around and yanked his surfboard off the sand. "C'mon, then. We'll do some basic paddling and slide-up," Still with his hair brushed back, Kagami glanced back at Aomine and gave him a huge grin. "No quitting on me, got it?"

What a shame that the redhead didn't see the flush hidden behind Aomine's dark skin. With a light punch to the shoulder, he followed the surfer. "Never!"

.

Aomine almost regretted asking for a surfing lesson because holy shit he was close to hyperventilating. Kagami was so close to him, practically breathing on his neck while running those sinful hands along his spine to correct his posture. 

_Oh yeah, correct my posture some more._

Currently, Aomine was lying on the surfboard while Kagami was waist-deep in the water. It had been ten minutes since that wide, calloused hand remained on his back and didn't move. So, he was pretty bummed out when it finally did. "There we go. A lot better. Now do it again."

"Again?" With a groan, he lied back down on his front and paddled away using his arms. At Kagami's cue, he slid on the surfboard and did a hunching squat with his elbows bent. "That alright?" It looked like it was because the other male nodded and forced Aomine to repeat that about twenty times until he could get it right most of the time.

"Looks good to me. Ready for your first wipeout?"

"Shut up. Watch me be better than you." Kagami only laughed in response. The blunette set out to the nearest weak waves, slid up and lost his balance immediately. He sprung up, holding the surfboard to Kagami doubling over in laughter. He was practically wiping tears from the corner of his eyes as he pointed at Aomine.

"Do it again! That was hilarious."

"Fuck off! I'll get it right the second time!" He tried it again only to fail again. It was too funny seeing the high and mighty Aomine tumbling off his surfboard without a speck of grace. He just splashed in like a dead fish.

"Sorry, that was really mean of me," Kagami swam towards the pouting blunette, grabbed a hold of the surfboard and gently floated next to Aomine. He bumped his shoulder against his friend's with a grin. "This is a gun surfboard. It's not really made for beginners."

"I hate you."

"I said sorry, you big baby!" The redhead laughed again before he put an arm around Aomine's broad shoulders and gave him a big wet kiss on the cheek. Of course, he didn't forget the disgusting 'mwah!'.

"Hey, watch it! We're in public." Aomine struggled out of Kagami's grip with his cheeks flaring up.

"Tai-chan! Dai-chan!" Satsuki ran towards them with her parents in tow. The girl was holding a longboard with a pretty pink colour while the other two had a tandem one.

"No way! You guys surf too?"

"Not as good as you are. I caught a glimpse and you were damn impressive." Kojiro slapped Kagami's back with loud laughter.

"Ah, n-not at all! You guys caught me on my good day is all," He blushed red at the compliment before thoughtfully staring at the tandem board held by the two adults. An idea then popped in his head. "Do you guys... mind if I borrow that for a second?"

"This? Oh, go for it, sweetie." Kiyoko passed the large board to the redhead.

"Thanks so much! You can use mine for the time being. I won't be long. C'mon, loser." He grabbed Aomine's hand as he sat on the board. "Up!"

"What am I, a dog!?" Despite that, he hopped up anyway.

"I'll show you the view. Just be quiet and let me concentrate, okay?" The two then paddled away to the deeper part of the ocean. Aomine was well aware of Kagami's chest rubbing against his back, all wet and hot under the summer sun. "Just relax. I'll hold your hands, so focus on keeping your feet steady."

"What the fuck, do you wanna embarrass me in front of Satsuki and her parents?"

"Like you can be more of an embarrassment than you already are."

"Fuck you. Okay, fuck you."

"Up!" With a slap to the side of Aomine's thighs that made him jump, Kagami slid up the board and fell into a stance. The blunette quickly followed, and almost immediately, his wrists were held tightly by his friend's palms.

He was at the front as Kagami carved straight through the water, then turned the moment the wave picked up. Aomine almost lost his balance when he saw the water about to curl around them but Kagami's hands kept him grounded. The redhead's chest was now pressed flush against Aomine's back and chin was resting on his shoulder.

"Steady." He whispered to Aomine as he entered the rip curl. "I promise you, the view is _beautiful._ "

As if on cue, the wave engulfed them. For a moment, All Aomine could see was glimmering shades of light blue that melted into white. Time stilled. He heard Kagami's controlled breathing and the splashing of the ocean that blanketed them. Even when the opening in front of them closed and the sunlight was completely cut off, Aomine knew he wouldn't drown.

After all, Kagami was holding him tightly. Funny how he didn't feel out of place or shaken even when he was in a foreign territory. Instead of worrying about plunging, he looked up to see the brilliant shine of sunlight as it was filtered by the blue waves. It was breathtaking.

They emerged out of the water with a loud splash only for them to ride up the foam and snap back towards the shore where Satsuki and her parents awaited.

Suddenly, he felt his heart racing. Aomine clutched his chest and bit his lower lip. The drumming didn't stop even as Kagami hopped off the board and gave him a grin.

"Beautiful, right?" The redhead brushed his bangs back to reveal those gorgeous, flaming brown-almost-red eyes that did nothing to slow Aomine's thrumming heart down.

_Yeah. Beautiful._

_._

Kagami discovered that he was gay when he was thirteen. He had his first sex with a classmate on his fifteenth birthday and came out to his father three months later. He had always known that his American-born father Tobyn, never really cared much about sexuality. In fact, he never really minded whatever it was that his son chose to do as long as he didn't get into trouble.

And expectedly enough, Tobyn was indifferent to Kagami's choice of wanting to date guys instead of girls. He only laughed and said, 'I know' before pulling him into a hug. Even though he wasn't as close to his father as he would've liked, having his support meant the world.

His sexual adventures were plentiful since there were many boys his age willing to experiment. They were on _that_ age, after all. Hormones skyrocketed and no one cared how they got off as long as they did.

None of his conquests was ever as perfect as the man currently underneath him.

Today was one of the rare times Aomine didn't complain when he was pinned down. Instead, he just leaned into the touch and rocked his hips needily against Kagami's. He was quiet and had a charming flush on his dark skin. Sprawled on the mattress like that with a crumpled sheet under him made Kagami hot and bothered.

Aomine was gorgeous from head to toe and Kagami suspected that he'd never get tired of how that body writhed under or above him. The redhead sunk an elbow on the taller's side while his other hand brushed back his partner's damp blue locks. "You're quiet today."

In response, Aomine put a hand on the back of Kagami's head and shoved his head closer so abruptly, the redhead thought they were about to kiss or something sappy like that. Honestly, he wouldn't mind kissing Aomine's plump lips to find out what he tasted like. "Just fuck me."

Kagami made his desire clear by licking his lower lip while staring half-liddedly at the other's. Instead of responding, Aomine turned his head slightly to the side, eyes glancing away.

"You gonna do it or what?" 

"Yeah, yeah." With a slight pout, Kagami grabbed his erection and pushed into Aomine's wanting hole. There would be no kisses today, but there was always the next. Frankly, Kagami didn't even know why he suddenly wanted to do that. Just a couple of weeks ago, he was fine with what they had, but now, he wanted some more.

As he listened to the grunts coming out of Aomine's mouth, he found his eyes drawn to those lips again. It was so sensual how his canine peeked out to tug on his lower lip, how his tongue was visible the moment he let go. Kagami wanted to claim it so badly, it hurt. Before the urge could get any stronger, he leaned away from Aomine and gripped his waist.

He fucked into the blunette harder, faster, deeper until a soft 'Taiga' could be heard.

Kagami's eyes immediately snapped open and passionate red met desperate blue as Aomine sat up and buried his face in Kagami's neck. He would've thought he just imagined that had it not been for the repeat.

"Taiga," Aomine groaned, muffled because his teeth clamped down on Kagami's shoulder. "Harder. Cum in me."

Kagami did just that. Their release was explosive and they were pretty sure their howls could be heard in the hallway. The bedroom curtain was slightly parted, allowing the orange glow of the sunset to stream in and envelop their bodies as they clung to each other.

Even as they grew limp, chests heaving up and down, it took only one glance for Kagami to notice that he still wanted to kiss Aomine. He wished he could.

With their eyes closed, the two rested their foreheads together until their breathing synchronised.

The measly two centimetres between them was two too much, Kagami realised.

.

Three days passed in a blink of an eye. Satsuki's parents were nothing short of wonderful as they drove everyone around to see all the tourist attractions. They saw the temple, took a nice long walk through the hiking trail and bought some souvenirs.

Satsuki, too, looked happier than usual. She laughed more freely, joked around like she was just a kid and had an amusing back-and-forth with Aomine. Through her, Kagami heard all the embarrassing tales surrounding that high and mighty Touou ace too that made the said male tried to wrestle Satsuki just to shut her up.

It was how that one time on the second year of junior high, Aomine peed his pants. How he wore his shirt the other way around to school and how he still believed in Santa Claus until he was thirteen. Kagami felt included in this sweet family—like they were his childhood friends instead of someone he met from the basketball team just three, four months ago.

In the evening, they still liked to surf too. Aomine made great progress, but that was a given considering how athletic he was despite his laziness. He could actually not fall now and could even tackle smaller waves with varying degree of success. Kagami still revelled in his friend's fails, though. He even documented one without the other knowing.

Through those short two days, Kagami learned that although Aomine looked apathetic, he was a big tryhard. He didn't like failing at something, so he always got up again and again. Not once did he give up even though he fell way more than he succeeded. He couldn't help but wonder if that was the case with basketball too when Aomine was younger.

The answer was probably yes, Kagami thought as he watched Aomine riding down another shallow wave with a pleased grin.

"I'm starting to get it. Is it time to move on to bigger waves?" He laughed in a smug fashion that made Kagami snort.

"Can't wait to see you getting swept by the current and never to be seen again."

"Honestly, that's the only way you're getting that ace position from me, so pray away."

"Did you say something, bastard!?" The redhead paddled towards Aomine who in turn, paddled away with loud laughter. Both of them slid up at almost the same time as the wave picked up in front of them.

Aomine was steady on his feet but Kagami was more experienced—faster. He carved through the wave to pick up the speed until he caught up with the blunette and practically jumped him, making both of them splash into the water.

"That's cheating!" The dark-skinned male grinned while he tried to slip away from Kagami's rock hard grip around him to no avail.

"You might be better at ball _for now_ , but in the ocean, I'm way better than you are." They both bantered some more before they eventually fell silent. Kagami's eyes landed on the harsher water deeper in the sea and he nuzzled into Aomine's side. "Let's go catch the big wave. I'll help you out."

"Let's go!" The taller one was quick to grab the floating surfboards and jumped on his black and dark blue one.

They paddled away side by side while admiring the blue glitter of the ocean accompanied by the sound of water hitting the rocks. The beach was busy, but at the moment, they could only see each other.

"You really never take off that ring, do you?" He referred to the item around Kagami's neck with a hint of pout in his voice.

"Huh? Not really—Oh, here we go! Up!" The redhead smoothly transitioned from his laying down position to a half-squat with Aomine following suit. "We won't stop 'til you can go through a rip curl yourself, yeah?"

"Bring it on." 

As expected, the first few tries, Aomine swiftly slipped off his surfboard the moment they were wrapped in the current. Well, he couldn't be faulted since the sudden change in surrounding could be disconcerting, especially when you weren't used to being in the water. Kagami always followed closely behind him since he knew there was no way anyone could make the big wave in one go. So, the moment Aomine lost his balance, Kagami was always ready to grab his hand and exited the water.

"Calm down, Aomine. You're not gonna seriously get swept away, y'know? At least not on my watch."

"I know, I know. It's just weird to suddenly can't see anything but water. I'll get used to it soon enough."

Still refusing to quit. Kagami gave Aomine a bright smile as he watched his friend got up his board once more. They both kept at it for a long time without sparing the shore even a glance. The sun glared at them but the water cooled them down. Kagami was content to stay in there as long as they could, especially when he was with Aomine. There was never a boring moment.

Honestly, he was a bit worried about having to spend so many consecutive hours with this guy but that fear was unwarranted. He enjoyed the blunette's presence from start to finish even though they wouldn't stop arguing about the most trivial of things. But that bickering was exactly why Kagami loved being with Aomine.

The blue ocean was now painted orange as the sun began to set in the horizon. However, Aomine didn't notice it. He was soaring through the rip curl on his own, dark skin glowing amber. On his face was a cheerful grin that made his frown lines disappear.

Kagami noticed that more and more often. Aside from when the male was asleep, the two folds on Aomine's forehead only faded when he was having unbridled, genuine fun. It was always accompanied with a bright wide smile and a twinkle in his navy blue eyes.

_Why can't you look like that when you're playing basket?_

Both men emerged out of the wave. The moment they did, Aomine dropped into the water with a loud splash that got Kagami laughing.

"What was that? You did good in the curl and only _now_ you fall?" The redhead crouched down on his surfboard before pulling his friend out and dragging him back towards the shore.

"Shut up, the change of scenery is jarring, okay?" He coughed up some salty seawater as he chucked his surfboard to the side and lied down on the sand. Most of the crowd had already disappeared since it was almost time for the lifeguards to finish up.

Kagami also abandoned his board next to him and sat next to Aomine while they both watched the sun set.

"That was some good exercise." The blunette laughed once more. That was probably the most amount of times he laughed in a day and Kagami was getting addicted to the sound. He wanted to hear more of it.

"The waves are better in America." Turning towards Aomine while leaning back on his arms, he said with a fond smile.

The taller male sprung up to a sitting position and widened his eyes. "No shit. Really? I thought that was great."

"Yeah. I lived near Santa Monica, so I always go down there to surf. Once you get better, you'll definitely get addicted." Kagami brought his knees closer to his chest before looking forward at the orange sky again.

Aomine made a low hum of approval. Then, he shuffled closer towards Kagami and put an elbow on the redhead's shoulder. "Take me there one day."

Those quiet words made Kagami's heart jump. He glanced sideways to Aomine, bathed in an orange halo that brought out his wild soul. That was the moment Kagami realised he was fucked.

He liked Aomine. As more than friends. And that wasn't going to end well in a friends-with-benefits scenario.

Still, he wanted to prolong this moment. It would end when it ended. Maybe it'd crush him later, but he wanted to enjoy the now he shared with this amazing man.

Grabbing the elbow and gently setting it down, Kagami rested his head on Aomine's shoulder and nodded.

"Yeah. One day. I promise."


	13. Rumour Says

Thinking back to it, they probably shouldn't have spent that much time screwing around doing nothing because now, they had three stacks of homework they needed to complete before school on Monday.

Satsuki and Kuroko helped the two idiots to finish their workload that didn't seem to budge. It took them _hours_ to complete all of them. The moment someone started nodding off, they would be rewarded by a merciless chop on the side from either Kuroko or Satsuki—both of them just as painful.

At some point, Imayoshi and Susa dropped by to laugh at the two hopeless idiots, took pictures of their agonised expression and left. Sakurai was lovely enough to bring some food and Wakamatsu joined them to finish off what little homework he had left.

By the time it was over, it was two in the morning and the two boys immediately passed out on the floor. Satsuki and Kuroko took pictures before tucking them in Kagami's comfy bed. The two shared a giggle and chuckle, then they left.

And that was the story of how Kagami spent the last day of summer holiday passed out cold in the bed. He hadn't gotten sick in _years_ so this was annoying, especially with Aomine there to point and laugh at him. Was that the same Aomine who took care of him after the training camp? Kagami was convinced that the ace had an alter ego.

After the fifth minute of 'idiots don't get sick but apparently basketball idiots do' joke, Kagami sighed in defeat and gave Aomine a side glare. "Why are you even here? If you just wanna laugh at my sick ass, then get out."

That harsh comment made the blunette's laughter die down almost immediately and Kagami wanted to kick himself in the mouth for it. Aomine looked deflated. If he had a pair of feline ears, then they'd be drooping. Sometimes the redhead forgot what an actual seven years old his friend slash rival slash crush was.

"I have nothing better to do," He said with his bottom lip jutting out. "Anyway, I'm gonna get something to eat. See you."

When he closed the door behind him, Kagami _almost_ asked him to come back because now, he didn't know what to do with the silence. He lied in the bed motionlessly like a dead log before he heard the front door unlocking again half an hour later. Aomine always filled this space with so much life and tantrum that it felt off to have it so quiet like this.

He glanced at his phone to see a few messages from his friends—Himuro and Kuroko to name a few, giving him get well wishes. By the time he finished replying to all of them, light footsteps that were signature of Aomine could be heard, followed by a faint smell of something. The blunette walked into the bedroom, put eight cheeseburgers on the bed and shoved it towards Kagami.

"Is that...?"

"Take it before I eat 'em all." He muttered, still pouting.

They spent lunch and the rest of the day watching NBA games, movies and played some PS4. Before they knew it, night came. Aomine stretched his limbs as he finally dealt the finishing blow to a boss in Dark Souls and plopped down on the bed.

"You should go home. I'm feeling a bit better but I don't want you to get sick because of me."

"No." Aomine crossed his arms, expression changing to that defiant one that Kagami always found both cute and annoying.

But it was late, his throat was burning up and he didn't have it in him to beat around the bush. Besides, they had school tomorrow, so it was probably in their best interest to go back and sleep. "For fuck's sake, Aho. _Why?_ "

"Because..." He grumbled. "an...en...ime...wi...you..."

"What?" Kagami squinted as if that would help him comprehend the alien language that came out of his friend's mouth.

"I wanna spend time with you, stupid blockheaded moron! There I said it, are you happy now?! Fuck you, I'm going home!"

_Slam._

Kagami stared at the door, blinked in confusion then shook his head. "You're such a fucking child." He had a flush on his face that didn't come from high body temperature but reaction to Aomine's unexpected honesty. Quickly, he grabbed his phone and sent his friend a quick text message that said: _'Sorry, I overreacted. Come back? You can sleep on the couch since I don't want you getting sick.'_ And also because Kagami was still worried that Aomine couldn't sleep at night. The blunette claimed that he was fine now, but better safe than sorry.

However, he received no response even after thirty minutes which was uncharacteristic. So, he gave him a call but the guy didn't pick up. Eventually, it went to his mailbox.

"Huh." The redhead looked at the disconnected screen that showed Aomine's contact photo that he took back at the beach. It was a good one of him splashing into the water and it never failed to make Kagami snort. His daydream was interrupted when he finally received a reply that simply said: _'whatever, loser'._

 _'Manchild. I said I was sorry.',_ Kagami texted back. When he received no response, he sighed. _'Sleep well. See you tomorrow at school.'_

.

Aomine was _pissed_! Okay, maybe he was the one overreacting, not Kagami. It was his birthday and all he wanted to do was hang out with that basketball idiot who made his life a hundred times better, but he got kicked out instead. What a present. Well, it wasn't like Kagami _knew_ it was his birthday and Aomine didn't give a rat's ass if everyone forgot about it. Still, he wanted to at least spend it with his friend.

He had such an amazing time at the beach thanks to Kagami and Aomine dared to say the redhead felt the same too. He forgot how long it had been since he laughed that much. Kagami's presence was so cathartic for him. Just the mere thought of the sub-ace's warmth could calm Aomine down, most of the time. So, it was natural to be drawn to him, right?

The dark-skinned male stomped into his house and almost kicked the door down. It was empty as usual. Silently hoping that his father would never come back, he slammed headfirst into his pillow and screamed his frustration into it.

He didn't know why he could never get enough of Kagami. All those skinship that the redhead initiated didn't help either. It always felt so nice when Kagami stroke his hair or put his head on Aomine's shoulder. Or chest. Or dick. And of course, there was his smile as well that always made Aomine's heart race. It was an unfamiliar feeling for him that only Kagami could trigger, but not entirely unpleasant.

"Maybe I'm crushing on him," The blunette muttered into his pillow, then chuckled. "Hah, yeah right." Honestly, he didn't even know if he swung that way or not. And this infatuation might die soon anyway, so it was probably better to not make a move just in case. Besides, Kagami might not even feel the same way, so he'd rather not make a fool out of himself.

With an annoyed huff, Aomine reached for his phone and dialled Kuroko who picked up after three rings.

 _"Hello, Aomine-kun,"_ It was nearing 10 PM, so the phantom was probably about to head to bed. _"You're not with Kagami-kun?"_

"Bastard kicked me out."

_"That was probably your fault, then."_

"I didn't do anything! He's just a drama queen." The blunette raised defensively.

 _"I'm sure Kagami-kun just doesn't want you to get sick. Besides, you'll see him tomorrow anyway, so I don't see the big deal?"_ Was Kuroko's very unsatisfying response. He must've read what the annoyed huff from Aomine meant because he chuckled. _"You really like him, don't you, Aomine-kun?"_

The dark-skinned male flicked his nail instead. Him? Aomine Daiki developing a crush on a basketball idiot? He should be offended but for some reason, he wasn't. "Fuck off. I don't."

_"Why not ask him out?"_

Three seconds silence. "No way. Never. I'd rather _die_."

 _"Of course you do,"_ Even through the phone, Aomine could see Kuroko rolling his eyes. _"I won't beat around the bush, Aomine-kun, but I believe that Kagami-kun is interested in you."_

"Yeah, no shit, Tetsu. I mean, there's a reason why we're fucking."

Kuroko, obviously annoyed at his friend's stupidity, refrained from sighing. _"That's not what I meant and you know it. You have nothing to lose but everything to gain."_

"Uhm? Hello? If I say that I like him and he turns me down, we can't be sex buddies anymore. I fucking love Kagami's ass and—"

_"I'm hanging up."_

"Okay, okay, sorry! Anyway, I like everything the way it is. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?" The ace rolled on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

_"Aomine-kun—"_

"Okay, say I really like him that way. Say, I confess to him and say he says yes," He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Then what? We date. Kagami's made it clear that he's leaving after high school anyway. To NBA, Tetsu. Fucking _NBA_. You think that's somewhere I wanna be? Then what's next for us? Long-distance with what, 12 hours difference? Do you know how many couples stay together after that?"

_"So you are giving up without trying?"_

"Yeah, is that so bad? Even I know when to call it quits." He went back to flicking his fingernails.

Knowing that there was nothing he could do to change Aomine's mind, Kuroko stayed silent.

"'sides, I don't even know if I like guys, to begin with. Kagami's just nice and he tolerates me even when I'm having a pathetic breakdown. Maybe this is a case of uh... what do they call it?"

_"Wrong person at the right time?"_

"Yeah, that," He huffed. "Anyway, I'm probably just projecting my ideals into him just because he's there for me. Like, I probably don't like him that way and he'll probably leave me in the end anyway, what with his dream of going pro. No point in pursuing anything."

There were a million things that Kuroko wanted to say to his friend but he doubted Aomine would listen. What the ace needed right now was a pair of ears, not a mouth, so he regarded that response not with a rebuttal, but with, _"You have thought about this, Aomine-kun."_

"I know right? I'm fucking awesome."

 _"Only sometimes,"_ Kuroko smiled from behind the phone. _"It's getting late. You should sleep soon, Aomine-kun. Happy birthday again."_

"Yeah, I should. Thanks, Tetsu."

Aomine clutched his phone tightly and closed his eyes. Yeah. No point in relationships when it'd just break. This was a story he knew the ending of and god forbid him travelling down the same path as _her_.

.

The first day of school went by as anyone would expect it: normal and boring. Kagami was glad that his fever had gone down and Aomine was no longer angry at him. The second thing he noticed was how the pain in the butt stayed awake through the entire class like he had a refreshing sleep yesterday. It made Kagami smile knowing that Aomine could finally get the rest he deserved.

The redhead nudged the blunette's elbow, then gave him a toothy grin that made the other flinch and looked away. He leaned into his friend's ear and whispered, "I didn't mean to kick you out yesterday. We cool right?"

"Yeah, sure." He said, and from there on, it was the usual banter for them that involved a lot of friendly headlocks, gentle elbowing and light slap to the shoulder or back of the head.

When lunch came around, Aomine was quick to put a hand around Kagami's neck and dragged him towards the rooftop where they spent it together with Satsuki. School was just that: school, but with Aomine with him, it was a lot more tolerable.

He wasn't the only one who thought that he soon noticed. When he walked down the hallway after a toilet break, he heard the girls whispering, "Isn't Aomine-kun really cool lately?" that got his attention.

"Yeah, how do I put it... he smiles a lot more now? His eyes are brighter and while he still frowns a lot, I dunno, it just feels different!"

"He's got this bad boy vibe to him now instead of yankee, doesn't he? It's really sexy!"

"But isn't he dating Momoi-san? I think everyone's out of her league... What a shame."

"Didn't you hear the rumour? Someone overheard Aomine-kun saying that Momoi-san is like his sister. Something about him wanting to protect her so she doesn't get harassed by the boys!"

"Oh my god, that's _so_ cute! That actually makes sense since Momoi-san is pretty huggy, isn't she? Especially towards that transfer student, what's his name? Kagami?"

"Ahh, Kagami-kun is also really cute... I heard they're dating."

"No way! They're gay?"

That made the redhead snap out of it. He scuttled towards the classroom with both embarrassment and annoyance. Looked like the entire school got to experience Aomine's sudden change of heart. He spent the rest of the day with a sour mood until basketball practice started where he played like a man possessed.

Aomine wasn't there, of course, which only made Kagami even more frustrated.

"Tai-chan, you're relentless today. Did Dai-chan do something yesterday?" Satsuki giggled when the redhead finally took a water break.

"Huh? No. I kinda kicked him out."

"Oh," The pinkette blinked. "You did?"

"I didn't want him getting sick." Kagami slapped the nozzle of his bottle down and grabbed a towel to wipe his sweat.

"That's a shame. Right on his birthday too."

"Yeah—wait, what?" Kagami snapped his head towards the manager. "Whose birthday?"

"Dai-chan's. He didn't tell you?" At the blank look returned to her, she groaned. "Of course he didn't. He was so excited about spending time with you that I thought you knew!"

Oh fuck. _Ooooh fuck._

Kagami jumped up from the bench and growled. "I'm going to look for him."

.

Aomine knew this time would happen eventually, but he still wasn't ready for it. In front of him, stood a quaint girl from his year that he had never seen before. Her hair was of a beautiful, silky raven locks that were tied into a ponytail using a red ribbon. There was a faint shade of pink on her cheeks, but Aomine couldn't help but stare at her chest. It was a decent size.

"Sorry, not interested." He muttered while scratching his head and looking away.

"I... see," He could hear her heart sink. "Do you like someone else, Aomine-kun? I know you're not actually going out with Momoi-san."

"Not particularly..." He murmured. The girls at school didn't really interest him, but he gotta hand it to this chick. She was observant. "Why do you like me, anyway?" He had a reputation in the school as being the most dangerous guy no one should speak with.

"You're actually a kind guy, right?" As she looked up, her expression brightened. "You're only protecting Momoi-san. And... well, I saw your match too. You were so into the game and I just think you look... uhm, you look really cool. Like a different person. Especially the way you looked very concerned for Kagami-kun when he fell..."

Whatever it was that he was expecting, it was definitely not this. Although the introspection was flattering, it made him a bit uncomfortable. He'd rather people not pay attention to him since that was troublesome. "Look, I don't know what you're talkin' about, but don't tell anyone about Satsuki, yeah? I don't want the guys to start hounding her again. And my answer is still no."

The girl choked, but she managed to not cry. "Okay. Can I come to talk to you sometimes, though?"

"Do whatever you want." He shrugged before turning around and—

"Aho!" Kagami practically slide-braked towards his location and grabbed his wrist without thinking twice. "Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday!?"

"Huh? I'm not obligated to tell you that! I'm not so desperate I'd beg for your attention, fuck. Get over yourself."

"Whatever, you're coming with me today! I'll cook you some teriyaki burgers, so get your clothes ready for a mean sleepover."

"Teriyaki burgers? Seriously? You're like, the best." The dark-skinned male grinned before putting an arm around Kagami.

"You only say that when you want something." Despite the eyeroll, Kagami didn't duck away from the headlock.

A metaphorical light bulb lit up on the schoolgirl's head. She quickly whipped out her phone and took a picture of the two basketball aces and sent it to her group chat with the message: _'I got rejected, but I think they're really dating!'_

.

Aomine's stomach was full and he was ready for bed. Nothing in this world could beat Kagami's homemade teriyaki burgers with soft, fluffy milk buns, succulent meat and thick sauce. He inhaled four of them and Kagami, seven. They enjoyed bath together with Aomine, of course, ended up being balls deep in Kagami's ass.

Shower sex was the best because they could clean up right after. With a stretch, Aomine threw himself onto the bed and rolled to his back, arms sprawled on his side. "Aaaah..." He sighed with a grin and perked up when he felt the bed dip.

Kagami crawled towards him with a catty look as he nuzzled on his friend's cock and put his mouth around that clothed member.

"You wanna go again?"

"Mm," The redhead hummed before slowly pulling down Aomine's shorts. "Just let me suck you off."

And boy, did Kagami suck Aomine's soul out of his dick. That guy had no gag response and his teary face when he impaled himself on the cock was irresistible. Grabbing a fistful of that wild red locks that were damp after the shower, Aomine rocked his hips into Kagami's willing mouth.

"Fuck yeah." He hissed when the tip hit the back of the redhead's throat. The strained 'mmph' that escaped from Kagami's mouth each time he took the cock deep was music to Aomine's ears.

The dark-skinned male almost came the moment Kagami put his hands on his back, looked straight at Aomine with a determined look, then nodded. It was the green light for Aomine to do whatever he wanted. So, the one being serviced immediately snapped his hip, pulled it back and repeated the motion as he throat-fucked Kagami. The shorter one didn't complain. If anything, he looked like he was in heaven judging from the way his hands snaked into his pants and started stroking his own cock.

_Yeah, this is fine. This relationship is fine._

Aomine refused to close his eyes. Blue and red locked into each other, but the prior flinched when a hand started playing with his balls. Kagami's tongue wrapped around Aomine's length and he hollowed his cheek.

Without warning, he sprayed his cum down Kagami's throat before pulling out just in time to smear some onto that tanned face.

"Hn!" Kagami shut one eye so the thick ropes wouldn't make contact with it. Almost immediately, Aomine sat up, bringing Kagami along with him and started thrusting three fingers into the still-tender hole. "Shit, more. More. Right there!" Those long fingers attacked his prostate relentlessly until he let out a lewd moan, followed with hot cum spilling into the tissue Aomine grabbed earlier.

"Was that my birthday gift?" The bluehead grinned the moment they regained their breathing.

"Something like that. Now, sleep." Kagami cleaned himself once again for good measure before snapping his pants back on. He turned off the lights, then crawled next to Aomine in bed, settling behind him. The redhead let out a content sigh as he buried his nose in Aomine's silky hair.

"Why am I always the small spoon?"

"Because I like your hair," As if to emphasise his point, Kagami rubbed his nose in the sweet-smelling blue locks. "Seriously, it's so soft and fluffy. Whatever product you use, keep using it."

Aomine hissed half-heartedly but let Kagami do whatever he wanted. It felt nice to have the redhead nuzzling into and stroking his hair.

"Who was that girl earlier?" He whispered when the blunette started to nod off.

"Dunno. She said she liked me."

Kagami was glad that Aomine couldn't see his frown. The fact that they fucked meant that the ace turned her down, surely. "And?"

"And what? That's it."

"That's surprising," The redhead decided to tease in hope that his nerve wouldn't show. "Her chest is pretty big. Don't you like that?"

It took Aomine a while to answer because Kagami wouldn't stop running those fingers through his hair. It almost coaxed a purr from him. "Your ass is bigger."

"The fuck!?" That made the sub-ace snort but his hand finally dropped to Aomine's waist, much to the ace's dismay. "Do you have anyone you like?"

"Not really," Came the answer even though Aomine suspected that he might. After talking with Kuroko yesterday, he had the chance to think about what Kagami was to him. He really liked the redhead. He was spunky, full of life and passionate—everything that he himself wasn't. So between yes or no, it was probably a yes. "You?"

"Would I be in this relationship if I do?" Kagami chuckled before pressing his chest against Aomine's back.

"Dunno. Maybe you're thinking about someone else as I drill you."

"I will literally deck you. What kind of asshole do you think I am?" There was not much bite in his words, though. At this point, Kagami was already used to Aomine saying things he didn't mean.

The blunette half-opened his eyes and swallowed thickly. One day, Kagami would probably find a girl or guy he liked and then, this would be over. That alone made him want to just claim this guy as his, but unfortunately, Aomine didn't think he was ready for a relationship. He was healing, but he was still a damn mess. He had so much baggage, he'd only drag Kagami down with him.

"Once you find someone, tell me."

Aomine's voice was quiet which made Kagami think twice before saying anything. He kissed his friend's nape and nuzzled into his hair once more. "Even if I do, I won't leave you. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, you sap. Friends, right?" His heart clenched as he said that. Friends. That was what they were and what they should be.

"Friends." Kagami nodded with a pit on the bottom of his stomach. That meant, this birthday and the one after, then the one after they'd spend as just that. Friends.

The thought really didn't sit well with him.

.

Days went by in a blink of an eye and before they knew it, it was October already. The sun had calmed down significantly, making way for cool, breezy wind. For the past month, Touou had been having practice matches against Kaijo, Seirin and other schools, but they limited the time Kagami spent on the court just so he could focus on his own personal training.

It was impressive how well everyone played together now. Touou was like a whole different team ever since the interhigh. It honestly made Kagami feel like he needed to do something else so he wouldn't get left behind.

"Whaat!?" Wakamatsu gaped and the piece of tempura he held between his chopsticks dropped back into the lunchbox. "You're going back to America? Wait, Kagami. Don't leave me!"

"Calm down, it's only for two weeks. Winter Cup is coming and I thought I'd get some practice from my coach." He said, voice muffled between his bites.

"Two weeks..." The blond fiddled on his phone to find the calendar. "Okay, so you'll come back one week before it starts?"

"Yep, it'll be fine. Plenty of time," Kagami shrugged. "Anyway, I'm leaving tomorrow—"

"Tomorrow!? Did you just get your ticket last night or something? You're an impulsive bastard."

In reality, yes, Kagami _did_ get his ticket last night after contacting Alex. She finally cleared up her schedule and he thought it'd be nice to see her again and get some training in. He even asked Himuro if he wanted to come along too, but the Yosen player said he had his hands full with making sure Murasakibara attended to practice.

So here he was, in the airport with Aomine in tow. The dark-skinned male looked shocked to hear the news but so was everyone else.

"You'll be fine?" Kagami asked while they stood in front of the check-in gate. His one duffel bag was being processed on the counter.

"'m not a kid. Just go do your training and come back so I can kick your ass again." Aomine had both hands in his pocket and kicked the ground. There was an unspoken tension between them that Kagami wanted to address but didn't.

"C'mon, don't look so sad." The redhead teased and it was rewarded with a growl.

"I'm not _sad._ " Aomine pulled a disgusted look at the accusation. He scowled when Kagami put him into a headlock.

"Don't worry, when I come back, I'll be a different player. My coach is terrifying, so she'll definitely whip me into shape." He laughed before letting go and grabbing his passport from the airline staff member.

"Hm..." Aomine looked pensive as they made their way towards the bag screening gate. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of person Kagami's coach was—and besides, a female? He shot a look at Kagami who looked as nonchalant as ever but said nothing about it.

"'kay, this is me," Kagami smiled. "See you in two weeks, Aho."

"Whatever. You better get your shit together so we can play a real match," He paused. "Don't forget to send nudes."

That made Kagami choke while Aomine gave him a shit-eating grin. The ace sidestepped away from Kagami's attempt at grabbing him, then did it the second time and the third. "Don't say shit like that in public, Eromine!"

The two brawled it out until the airport security had to separate the two boys who were laughing at that point. With one last wave, they parted and Kagami boarded the plane.

Aomine stared at the terminal with hands in his pocket. He had two weeks to kill now and he wondered what he should do.

.

As expected, it looked like it'd be the longest two weeks of his life. Much like Satsuki, Alex's brutality was the real deal. By the end of the first week, his limbs felt like they were about to fall off. After all, he played non-stop on the street courts against their most skilled players from sunrise to sunset. As a result, he was exposed to many different playstyles that were fascinating in their own way.

Kagami maintained a 50-50 winning ratio during the first five days but managed to push it to 70-30 towards victory by the last couple of days. Those guys were no joke. While they didn't get his blood pumping like Aomine would, they certainly made him _work_. Well, being looked down on just because he was a foreigner definitely helped to get him riled up anyway. After he displayed his skill, everyone was quick to clam up.

And on the seventh day, he was actually disappointed to leave the people he met. At some point during the week, they all have developed some weird bond and Kagami knew those guys were as disappointed as he was. They all exchanged contact details and promised to meet each other the next time Kagami came back to the states.

He could see light at the end of the tunnel. For his efforts, Alex was amazing enough to take him to one of the NBA games currently on. It was between what was possibly the greatest rivalry of all time, well at least for Kagami: Lakers and Celtics. He watched wide-eyed as the two very impressive teams battled it out.

"You look kinda out of it, Taiga. Tired already?" Alex nudged her student who had been thumbing his phone for the past five minutes during halftime.

"Huh? No way!" Kagami quickly pocketed the gadget only to have Alex undressing him with her eyes. "It's... nothing, okay?" He stuck out his bottom lips and lifted his shoulders up as he rested his hands on his knees.

"Boy problem?" She elbowed him again, this time leaning closer.

"Ughh, it's not like that!" The redhead inched away. "I'm just worried about my friend is all."

"Friend, huh?"

"Friend." Kagami insisted and hoped that Alex would stop pushing. No such luck. She was never known for her consideration, after all. "Fine, fine! My teammate... well, he hasn't messaged me this whole week."

"Oho?" She cocked her eyebrows. "Is someone missing his _friend_?"

"No! It's just weird. Usually, he always pings me useless stuff or send me some photos of his favourite gravure model's new magazine, but now, nothing. He's..." Kagami took a deep breath. "Battling some stuff, so I wonder if something happened."

That made Alex's playful expression fade. She promptly retracted from her student and made a pensive hum. "You should message him first, then, if you're so worried."

Kagami took out his phone once more and opened his IM log with Aomine. The last message was one week ago where Kagami said that he arrived safely. Aomine texted back with a short _'cool'_ , then nothing else. The redhead then navigated to Touou's LINE group chat and scrolled up, but no sign of Aomine replying with offensive stickers.

The only thing that subdued his panic was the fact that Satsuki hadn't said anything either. If something happened to Aomine, Kagami was sure that she'd tell him. However, there had been nothing but short exchanges about practice. So, he tagged the blunette in the group chat, saying _'@Aomine are you still alive?'_

However, even after the game finished and he parted ways with Alex, there was no response. All he saw was Imayoshi's and Wakamatsu's sticker replies of a dog peeking from behind a brick wall. Hell, out of the sixteen people in that chat, only fourteen read the message which meant one person hadn't. Maybe it was Aomine.

"Taiga, is everything okay?" His father set down his cutlery.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry." Kagami put his phone face down and focused on eating. It was a rare occasion that his father could take some time off work, after all.

"We haven't had the chance to talk. So, how's school?"

"Yeah, good. There are some really strong basketball players there, so I'm enjoying it."

"That's good to hear. And it looks like your cooking skill has improved once more. This is delicious, Taiga." Tobyn slurped the rest of his soup and set the bowl down.

Giving his dad a grin he gobbled down what was left of his food. "Thanks. I've been feeding my helpless friend, so I've gotten more used to cooking. And oh, I have to tell you about our manager. She's so damn competent, smart and so pretty, but she's absolutely _horrifying_ at cooking! Like, I couldn't believe that someone is _that_ bad. But there's also this small guy who keeps apologising. His snacks are to die for, especially his homemade senbei..."

Kagami continued rambling for about fifteen minutes with Tobyn nodding and smiling at his son's enthusiasm. There was a relief on his face upon knowing that Kagami settled in well and had wonderful friends who could make him smile like that.

"Oh, man. I totally went on a tangent," He rubbed the back of his head. "And how are you? I'm sorry I don't call often. I've just been... busy."

"I understand. The time difference doesn't help either," Tobyn took the plates and put them in the sink while Kagami chopped up some apples. "But I'm happy to see that you're liking it there. I was worried that you'd feel out of place."

Kagami listened to him intently as he set down the plates. It felt like forever since he had last talked to the elder.

"I know I haven't been the most... available father, but if you need anything..."

"Yeah. Thanks." The redhead grinned at his parent and they both sat down to finish the fruits.

By the time Kagami hopped into bed, Aomine still hadn't responded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> time is always changing, but one thing will remain constant: this fandom's belief that aomine's hair is silky and fluffy af


	14. Pieces, Falling Into Place

The last week in America, Kagami slaved away under Alex's merciless coaching. Not only did she craft the most brutal stamina training regiment, but she also forced some weird, healthy green juices down his throat that made him want to throw up. He would resist, but she'd just tie him down and feed him mouth-to-mouth, so Kagami stopped running.

They also did some shooting exercises and Alex put a ban on _all_ dunking manoeuvres before shoving him back on another street court to get his ass kicked. It was humiliating to have such low basket percentage, but he understood why she did that.

"You've actually gotten much better than I thought you would, Taiga." She said during the last day of his training.

"You're looking down on me!? After what you did, you bet your ass that I'd get better!" Kagami slumped onto his ass and wiped the sweat off his brows.

"No, I meant the day you arrived." She crossed her arms. "I knew you'd be a lot better, but you exceeded my expectation. In the span of four months, you've... changed. For the better. Did something happen?"

"Yeah. That _asshole_ happened," Kagami leaned against the wall before his lips curved into a fiery grin. "There's someone I want to beat in Japan. He's strong. _Super_ strong. But he's so strong, no one wants to play against him."

Alex quirked a knowing smile at the gleam in her pupil's eyes.

"And he never says why he turned away from basketball, but I can see the reason why. When he goes all out, he... well, he breaks his opponents. In turn, that broke him," Brushing his bangs back, he continued with a quiet voice. "So I want to show him that bitter taste of defeat. I want him to feel angry. _Frustrated_. I think when that happens, he'll smile again." And boy, did Aomine had the most captivating smile.

"Ah, youth!" The former WNBA player laughed before ruffling Kagami's spiky, coarse hair. "Sounds like you've almost got yourself a rival. Get back there and kick his ass!"

"You don't have to tell me twice," The redhead smirked but soon, his expression dropped again. "I'm worried."

"He's the guy you keep staring at your phone for, right?" At the bull's eye, Kagami looked up at Alex. "Well, I don't know what problem he has, but if there's anything major that happens, surely, your teammates would tell you."

"Yeah... I guess. But he has a habit of internalising things and hiding behind his bad tongue. If you don't squint, you won't know he's having problems. Which is why I worry." He sighed.

"Well, you'll come back tomorrow anyway," Alex reassured him. "Do you like him?"

"U-uh, between yes or no... I guess it's... a yes," He admitted with a red face, much to the coach's surprise. "But there's not much I can do about it. He already said that he doesn't like anyone and besides... I think he's straight."

"C'mon! Sexuality is _so_ fluid. You can't help finding someone hot," Alex laughed before grinning a toothy grin. "Go get him, Tiger!"

.

Turned out it was easier said than done.

It was damn hard to catch Aomine aside from classes. The guy always looked so exhausted and once more, he fell asleep through school which made alarm blare inside Kagami. During lunchtime, they ate at the rooftop together even though usually, the sub-ace would hang out with Wakamatsu instead. However, Aomine struggled to stay awake even through eating.

He kept massaging his legs, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders like he'd just worked out for eight hours straight. When Kagami tried talking to him, the blunette would just stare into space and answer with a one-liner that infuriated him.

"Dai-chan," Satsuki nudged Aomine. "Kagamin's talking to you."

"Huh? Oh..." He mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head and yawned. "Can we talk later? I'm tired..."

But there was never a _later_. Aomine never showed up to practice and he wasn't in the rooftop either. Satsuki and Kagami went on a hunting evening to find the lazy ace but to no avail. All their calls went straight to mailbox and Aomine only seemed to reply at around ten at night. Kuroko didn't know anything about it either, but he did have a small smile on the corner of his lips like he knew something they didn't and—god! The next day, Satsuki had the same smile too.

"Don't worry about him, Kagamin!" She said. "Dai-chan's doing his best too, you know? You'll see."

Kagami wanted to believe that.

So he tried to visit his house at the weekend since he had the spare key, but the guy was never home in the afternoon or evening. Where the fuck was he? What was he doing!?

Now it was Monday and Winter Cup would start tomorrow. It had been one week since Kagami arrived back in Japan but not a single day had he hung out with his friend.

"Aomine!" Kagami finally cornered him before he could leave the school ground. There was some light in his eyes that meant the guy had slept enough. "Stop avoiding me!"

"What?" He looked legitimately confused.

"Where have you been? You haven't been at practice, you're never at home and you're sleeping during class!" Kagami voice broke a little. "Are you... okay?"

Feeling the redhead's firm hands on his shoulders startled him a little. "Yeah. I'm fine. I've just... uh, I've been busy. I wasn't trying to avoid you, though."

Kagami stared at him sceptically.

"Don't waste your breath on me," The blunette brushed those hands off. "If you've got time to worry, you've got time to practice. I'm leaving now."

The only reason Kagami didn't interrupt was because of how abruptly Aomine cut the conversation like he was in a rush.

_But where are you going?_

Feeling a knot on his stomach, Kagami chewed his lower lip. Two weeks apart couldn't be the reason for the cold shoulder, could it? Did somehow... Aomine regress back into his deep depression?

The only thing he could cling to was Satsuki's words of Aomine 'doing his best'. Doing his best on what, Kagami didn't know.

.

Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. The calendar in Satsuki's room became more worn as she scribbled out the dates using her red marker. Everyone's training was coming along well. Thanks to the few practice games she organised, the core four members of Touou had improved significantly in the team play aspect.

Imayoshi could now provide information more readily during games instead of keeping them to himself. Sakurai started speaking up whenever he spotted something out of the ordinary and sometimes even take charge instead of profusely apologising. Wakamatsu, too, synergised with Kagami and the rest of the team a lot better. Susa was now much better when it came to grabbing rebounds and understanding when a teammate fumbled so he could be there to cover them.

And as for Aomine...

Honestly, she had no idea what became of him. The guy still refused to attend practice but when Satsuki walked up to the rooftop where she'd usually see him dozing off, he was never there. She tried calling him but it was never picked up. Although the more likely answer was the ace was busy sleeping somewhere else, Satsuki wanted to believe that her childhood friend was trying to improve himself too.

She was surprised when Aomine told her that he was going to practice with Kuroko back during the summer training. That was the first time in a couple of years that Aomine voluntarily went to practice without being screamed at. So right now, she chose to have faith in him.

The winter high was upon them. On her desk was the match schedule for the year. Thanks to their performance during interhigh, Touou was the second seed and their first two matches were against considerably weak schools. If all went according to plan, their first tough match would be against Shuutoku in the final league, followed by Seirin.

Suddenly, her phone flashed a message from Aomine. When she opened it, it read: _'not coming to prelim. got something to do'_

She frowned. _'You_ are _coming for Shuutoku, right?'_

_'yea. nite'_

_'Good night, Dai-chan_ _♡_ _'_

Satsuki clutched her phone for a few seconds before she unlocked it again with her dainty finger, nails perfectly manicured. "Tetsu-kun!" She squealed in a singsong tone the moment her call was picked up.

 _"Hello, Momoi."_ The phantom simply replied.

"Good luck with your matches tomorrow! I can't wait to see you playing against Ki-chan. I can tell that he's going to truly be a fearsome opponent this time."

_"He has changed. No doubt the match against Touou during interhigh has something to do with it. The same can be said with Yosen too."_

"We're really in for a treat," Lying on her stomach, she swung her feet back and forth gently. "Ah, but I called to ask about Dai-chan. Have you two been playing lately?"

_"Not really. Has he been skipping again?"_

"Yes... but I have a feeling that there's something else..." Satsuki hummed.

 _"Your intuition is never wrong, Momoi. If you think Aomine-kun is up to something, then chances are, he probably is,"_ Kuroko replied. _"I believe in him too. Aomine-kun has changed."_

"He has," She grinned. "We have Kagamin to thank for it. He's been a wonderful influence to everyone around him. Though I wonder how long it'll take for him to make a move on Dai-chan. Everyone knows they're head over heels for each other... and oh! For the past two months or so, they've become a hot gossip." She laughed when she listened to how everyone already assumed that both men were dating.

The ones in topic were blissfully unaware of those rumours, though. They didn't even notice when some of the girls would take photos of them being touchy-feely, or when Kagami would shove his chopstick full of food into Aomine's mouth, practically feeding him.

There were those who looked disgusted too, of course. However, they were too scared to pick on the two biggest, most muscular boys at school, so they left the matter be. Besides, everyone had a feeling that if they dared lift a finger on those two, they would have the entire basketball team hot on their asses.

 _"We're talking about those two dimwits. The answer is probably not this year or the one after, but..."_ Kuroko trailed off, pausing momentarily. _"I fear that nothing will happen even if Kagami-kun does act on it."_

"Oh?"

 _"Ah, let's discuss this in person next time we meet. It will be a long discussion, I feel."_ From the background, Satsuki heard Kagami's voice telling him to go to bed. _"Ah, I'm staying at Kagami-kun's today, in case you're wondering. Good night, Momoi."_

"Aw, you two are so close, it's so cute. Okay, then. Sleep well and dream of me, Tetsu-kun!"

.

Kagami was fucking pissed.

Not only did Aomine ignore him, skip the entire training camp and two months worth of basketball practice, he had the audacity to not show up to _all_ four prelim matches.

Kuroko stood next to him, patiently listening to the redhead's rambling as they made their way towards their respective teams. "I'm sure he has his reasons."

"What reason? What reason!? He's just a lazy fuck, that's what. Ughhh, I want to beat him _so_ bad. We haven't even played one-on-one since mid-August. Since _mid-August,_ Kuroko. He's probably too scared because he knows I'm way better than him now!"

"Well, he told Momoi that he be here for your match against Shuutoku. You will see for yourself what he had been doing for the past few months then. If he truly has done no training, then it'd be glaringly obvious." Always the voice of reason, the Seirin member said flatly.

"I swear..." The redhead growled as Kuroko was hailed by his friends. The two parted ways for the moment with 'good luck' being exchanged.

"Let's go, ace!" Wakamatsu slapped the back of Kagami's shoulder while Touou did what they did best: part the sea of people with their intimidating presence. He could only imagine how amplified the effect would be had Aomine been here too.

Their first match was against a lower-seeded team that looked terrified at the prospect of going up against Touou on their first match. They relaxed a little when they noticed that number 5 wasn't among the enemies, which only ticked Kagami off even more.

Grumpily, he fastened his shoelaces prior to joining the others on the court. The moment he stepped in, he noticed that something was... very un-Touou-like. Everyone had such a different vibe to them—almost like a camaraderie that confused him. Had it always been like this for the past three matches? Shrugging it off, Kagami walked to the centre ring to get the game started. That time during summer camp along with the previous prelim matches must've done wonders, he mused.

The game kicked off strong for Touou who got an early lead. It was nothing new, but Kagami didn't feel any pressure even though Satsuki warned that their opponent was known for their defense. It was because whenever he turned around, someone was always there to support him. It got to the point where he'd toss behind him without looking because he knew Sakurai would always be there, ready for the pass.

.

"That's your team, Daiki?" A scruffy man even taller than the ace commented after watching the last quarter for two minutes. "You said they don't work well together, but damn, they're fire."

"Everyone's rallying around number 10 and giving him so much space to score. It's pretty impressive how organised they are. Everyone is always in position no matter how chaotic things get." Another male with curly hair hummed in approval.

With a scoff, the dark-skinned male leaned against the back wall of the arena and crossed his arms. "Touou working together. It's so damn creepy."

"Isn't that what you're trying to do, though by playing with us everyday? Then, you're creepy too!" One of the two blonds laughed as he smacked Aomine on his shoulder, making the ace groan.

"Well, now we know you're worried over nothing, let's hit the street again! It's almost time for _our_ match. Don't forget to pass to me, Daiki! Just remember, no more headshots. This ain't COD." The tallest of the group laughed before flinging his arm around the highschooler's shoulders and dragging him outside along with the rest of the group.

Aomine took one last glance at Kagami who tore through the court and smirked. He couldn't wait to see the look on his teammate's face when they played together next.

For the past three weeks, Aomine had been playing in a street court about thirty minutes away from home. And his buddies always dragged him to the gym in the weekends or the massage parlour to soothe his aching muscles. He didn't tell Satsuki, of course, because if he did, he'd never hear the end of it. Just imagining her coos was enough to send an unwanted shiver down Aomine's spine.

The guys who played there were nothing special and he trampled over all of them when he first arrived. He still remembered the look on their faces when they realised a highschooler just shat all over them, some twenty and thirty years old men playing ball for fun.

It took Aomine being called a tsundere to finally admit that he wasn't there to flex his unbelievably big schlong but to ask for help. Of course, everyone had to stare at him for a long two minutes as he tried to form a 'please' that he hadn't said in so many years. He swore to ask Kagami for a million teriyaki burgers in return of this degree of humiliation.

There were four people, mainly, that he played with.

An African-American, Jacob who was even taller than Murasakibara and had a shaved head. He was married to a cute Japanese woman and had two daughters that oftentimes, came to their father's street matches. Then there was the quiet, well-read law student who was the shortest of the bunch, but still taller than average Japanese called Mizuki. He had curly black hair and a pair of glasses. He didn't talk much but his playstyle was kind of like Imayoshi's. The other two were identical twins, Shuuji and Yuuji who worked in a nearby cafe while studying engineering. For the love of everything that was good, Aomine could not tell the difference between the two. They had dyed, messy blond hair with black streaks on the side.

They were all close friends who often played on street basket tournament—the laid back sort who would relentlessly tease 'Tsunmine' or 'Tsuntsun-kun' until he wanted nothing more than to slam his skull against the nearest wall.

Just a few months ago, Aomine could have never imagined hanging out with such an obnoxious bunch. He'd rather read Mai-chan's magazines and play games, but now, he actually enjoyed other people's company. While they couldn't sate his desire to find a strong opponent, they were helpful in their own ways. Mostly in helping him with his sloppy passes that were getting better by day. Nowadays, he could toss to someone without worrying about knocking his target out. It still wasn't _perfect_ , but it was definitely passable—no pun intended.

Anyway, these guys had so much stamina, it wasn't even funny. They could quite literally go all day long and since they were a four-man team, they ended up dragging Aomine until the moon rose and there was no one else to challenge them. Once he got home, he always immediately took a shower and pass out. The only blessing was that sometimes, they relaxed to watch movies or go to the arcade. But only sometimes. Out of the twenty-four, he slaved away for a total of twenty.

Sometimes he wondered why the fuck he put himself through that.

Oh, right. Because seeing Kagami work so hard made him want to work hard too. And fuck, he didn't want Kagami to get a concussion because of his bad pass. Aomine might be a lazyass, but he wasn't a thoughtless friend.

"Let's go, Tsuntsun-kun!" One of the twins shoved the ace into his power forward position.

"Stop calling me that!"

"Tsun." The other twin laughed as Jacob walked towards the centre ring for the ball toss.

The whistle blew and everyone moved.

It was the finals of the small street court tournament exclusive to that particular spot. There were eight teams that participated and so far, only two dominated. They were currently playing against each other and this time, the whole team put a ban on Aomine doing what Aomine did best: hogging the ball.

"If you get double-teamed and you see someone in position, pass to them." Was what their captain, Jacob said. "That is not an ultimatum. You can ball hog if you'd like, but that's not what you're here to do, is it, Daiki?"

So, Aomine had to expand his spatial awareness to spot not only the opponents but his teammates as well. It was damn hard to focus on nine moving things at once and he had to give massive props to Kuroko for being able to do what he did. He struggled to keep up with the rest of the team as a result, but he was still an asset because he could steal the ball so reliably.

"Tsunmine!" Yuuji snapped him out of it. Currently, he had two guys in front of him, arms outstretched. If Aomine so desired, he could just do a feint and dash to the other side for a formless shot, but Jacob was already sprinting towards the basket, eyes locking with Aomine's.

"Fuck." He bounced it once, grabbed it then visualised a moving basket in the form of his captain. The image training with Kuroko definitely helped, but trying to visualise it every single time slowed him down. He didn't have time to pass, so he did the second best thing. With a click of the tongue, Aomine threw the ball with one hand as he would a shot, but he fumbled. It came up short. Before it hit the ring and rebounded, Jacob was already there to slam it down.

"Nice!" The foreigner gave the youngest of the bunch a thumb's up as the small crowd roared in excitement. More than anyone, Aomine was the one most surprised by that. He thought he'd miss, but Jacob made it for the dunk. A perfect alley-oop.

"Tsuntsun-kun!" Yuuji and Shuuji ruffled Aomine's hair before pulling away, looked at their hands and then at Aomine. "...Your hair is surprisingly soft."

"Don't," The ace breathed out. "Don't you _dare_. My friend is already obsessed with my hair, I don't need anyone else petting me too!"

"Come on, you guys. Let's focus on the match." Mizuki said with a sigh.

"I know you didn't mean to pass," Jacob winked. "But you were surprised that I was there, right? Get this in your head, kiddo. No one is a deadweight. _No one_. Once in the court, it's either you drag everyone up with you or down. We both know which one you want to do," He smiled kindly like a father would his own son. "You are a gifted player, Daiki, but once you learn to trust others, you will see that there's more to basketball than what you can see right now. And when you can see everything clearly, I guarantee you, you will have lots of fun."

"Fun..." Aomine glanced at his two hands, slightly reddened thanks to the rubber ball. It was true that this whole passing bullshit might be frustrating, but for the first time, he discovered an aspect of basketball he didn't have a mastery of, and it motivated him to keep going. "But what if one day, I can pass reliably and... and still can't find a match?"

"Then maybe it's a sign that you should set your aim higher," He grinned. "NBA. There's more to basketball than Japan, you know?"

The match then continued. While no one was especially powerful, they were challenging enough for Aomine who couldn't go all out thanks to him focusing solely on passing. In the last three minutes, the team decided to give the blunette the green light to do whatever he pleased. It was easy to say that everyone became terrified of this crazy highschooler whose switch to be a brutal killing machine was suddenly turned on.

By the time their match ended, it was already halfway through Touou's second match. He shared some evening snack with his team in a local cafe to celebrate their victory.

"Uhm," Aomine interrupted the lively four players who were busy squabbling amongst themselves about the cool new movie that they watched yesterday. When everyone turned around, eyes wide, Aomine took a deep breath and glanced away from them. He rubbed the back of his neck., lips curling into a pout. "For helping me these past few weeks... uh," He inhaled sharply, then bowed. "Thank you!"

There was only silence that made Aomine nervous. When he looked up, everyone stared at him slack-jawed. "Ohhh fuck," Yuuji mouthed. "Is this what it feels like to see your son growing up?"

"I'm gonna cry. Yuuji. Help." Shuuji fake-sobbed into his arm.

"You're welcome, Aomine. Good luck on your match tomorrow." Mizuki smiled with Jacob echoing the gesture.

"We'll definitely come. So put up some impressive team play for us, 'kay, kiddo?"

"Heh, who d'you think you're talking to?" Aomine narrowed his eyes smugly and smirked before he was pulled into a big hug by Jacob while Yuuji and Shuuji tackled him. Mizuki closed his book prior to joining in the massive, cuddly group bearhug. All of them took turns ruffling the Touou ace's very fluffy hair.

"Aho?" Kagami's voice became audible. The redhead blinked at the currently suffocating ace. "Aho!? What are you doing here instead of at the match!?"

"B-Bakagami... help..."

"Ohh, you're the infamous Kagami!" Yuuji leapt towards the redhead, followed shortly by Shuuji. "Tsuntsun-kun talks about you all the time! We even visited your ma—mmmmph!"

"Please be quiet, Yuuji," He dragged the twins back into a safe distance before he forced both of them to bow lightly. "Good evening, Kagami-kun. Please do not worry about Aomine. I can assure you that he hasn't been slacking off."

"O-oh?" He glanced at the blunette who was now hiding behind him like a scared cat.

"Tsunmine..." The twins approached him, their fingers wiggling.

"Kagami," Aomine croaked. "They're gonna attack me. Hold the fort!" In fear of his hair, he ran off with the twins chasing him down the street.

"Children..." Jacob shook his head before extending his arm. "I'm Jacob. This is Mizuki and those twins are Yuuji and Shuuji. We won't tell you who we are to Daiki 'cause that'd ruin the surprise." He winked.

"Kagami Taiga," He shook that strong hand, eyes wide in surprise. "So Aomine has other friends... so weird."

"Ha! Well, he certainly ain't a charmer, but definitely adorable in his own way."

That made Kagami grin. "He really is. I think I should catch up with him. Nice meeting you!" With that, he ran towards where Aomine sprinted off to earlier.

He found the guy being held down by one of the twins while the other one ruffled his hair. The sight made Kagami snort. So he wasn't the only one who found that hair really soft to the touch. At the same time, it annoyed him too because he thought it was a well-kept secret. Now he had to _share_?

"Uh, I'm here to pick him up." Kagami approached the three. Immediately, the bluehead sprang to his feet and grabbed Kagami.

"Let's go!"

"See you tomorrow, Tsunmine! Kagami!" The two jumped up, waving wildly as the highschoolers left.

They were quiet in the train home, all because of common etiquette of not speaking while inside. However, the moment they walked out, Kagami was the first to break the silence. "So what have you been up to?"

"I wonder..." The ace hummed teasingly.

"It's important enough that you missed our matches?"

"You won anyway, right? I said I'll come tomorrow anyway. So, all well that ends well."

"You're taking this so easily," Kagami rolled his eyes before putting a hand on the top of Aomine's head and shoving him down playfully. The two exchanged laughter as they made their way towards Kagami's place. A sense of normalcy had been restored and it relieved him. "It's been a while since we last played." _Or hung out, even. I miss you, Aho. Don't you miss me too?_

It was replied with a short hum.

Silence fell once more. The only things they could hear were their footsteps and the chirping of birds while the sun set behind them. The redhead took one glance at his crush who looked pensive. His frown lines were more distinct than ever and he was chewing his lips. 

He was glad that Aomine was making friends, but at the same time, something didn't sit well with him. Those guys were clearly basketball players, judging from their height and callouses on their hands. It was clear as day that they had been playing together. If that was the truth, then it meant, for the last month or something, Aomine had been with them.

It was damn difficult for Kagami to get even one game against the ace, but here he was, playing with four other people on a regular basis.

"Am I still not good enough?" Kagami asked quietly.

That tone took Aomine by surprise. "Huh?"

Maybe Aomine was tired of waiting for him. Maybe the ace finally decided to look elsewhere for a rival. Kagami clenched his fists and turned his head before pacing forward towards his home, but Aomine stopped him. The blunette grabbed him by the shoulder and forced his blue to meet Kagami's red. There were vulnerabilities swirling inside them, clouding his burning fire.

"The fuck are you on about now, idiot?" Aomine tugged the corner of his lips into a confused smile.

"I've gotten better, you know? You just never played me," He clenched his fists, voice edged with bitterness and hurt. "But you're so happy to play with those guys. Even though I'm working so hard to get you to look at me."

"Wait, wait!" Aomine was taken aback by that close-to-tears, fuming expression on his friend's face. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"You avoided me for one whole week! What else was I supposed to think? Satsuki and Kuroko have been so cryptic too."

"Wha—ugh." Aomine scratched his head with one hand on his hip before scoffing and grabbing Kagami by the wrist.

"H-hey!" The redhead didn't struggle as he was dragged towards his place. Begrudgingly, he unlocked the door accompanied by Aomine who was impatiently tapping his foot.

The moment the door opened, Aomine shoved his friend inside and kicked the leaf shut.

He knew he was bad with words, so anything he said would probably make things worse—things like: 'You're too slow', 'I'm bored waiting', 'Get better faster, then'. They were things that Kagami probably didn't want to hear. Not now, at least.

Truth was, Aomine missed Kagami. It wasn't entirely his choice to stop hanging out with the sunny ace one week after his touchdown. He was just in the middle of that stupid competition his friends signed him up for. It was finally over now, so things could return to normal, but it looked like Kagami couldn't wait a day longer to confront him.

The blunette pushed Kagami into the bedroom and immediately began undressing him. "You don't get it, Bakagami," Aomine laughed as he sunk to his knees and parted the other's thighs. "You really don't." Aomine then took the tip of Kagami's half-hard dick into his mouth.

"Fuck." The redhead hissed. He didn't really want sex—he wanted an _explanation_ , but this was the first time Aomine's mouth had gone anywhere near his cock, so he didn't want to pull away. Dark fingers squeezed on Kagami's buttocks as he slurped away. It was far from a stellar blowjob. It was messy and inexperienced but seeing the look on Aomine's face was enough to get Kagami going. "I didn't—" He choked. "Didn't want a booty call."

Pulling away with a pop, Aomine smirked and bit the inside of that muscular left thigh. "No?" He then sucked on Kagami's balls while one hand pumped his saliva-coated dick. "I don't hear you complaining, though."

"Low blow," Kagami stammered out as he buried his fingers into Aomine's hair. "Fuck, do that again." He threw his head back when Aomine started deepthroating him. The blunette choked a little but kept going. There was playfulness in his dark blue eyes when he felt Kagami's fingers tightening on his scalp and hips lightly rocking into his mouth.

With a loud, restrained 'coming!', Aomine relaxed his throat and pulled away slightly only for Kagami to spill his juice inside. The dark-skinned male knew it would taste bad, but he wasn't ready for _that._ He quickly choked, retreated and spat it out on the ground.

"Holy shit, that was awful."

"Right?" Kagami laughed before dropping onto the bed and taking a few deep breaths. While he closed his eyes, he heard Aomine shuffling around the place, going into the kitchen and drank some water to wash down the foul taste. He came back a few seconds later still hard but quickly pushed Kagami down again when he was about to get up to do something about it.

"Nah, I'm good," Aomine muttered before taking his shirt off and throwing it on the floor. "How was America?"

"My coach took me to a Lakers vs Celtics match."

" _No._ " Aomine gaped.

"Ooh yes," Kagami grinned smugly. "It was great. Here, I've got some clips." He tossed his phone to his friend who grabbed it and scrolled through the gallery.

"Holy shit, is that LeBron?" Aomine stared in awe as one of the greatest players alive played. "And Davis too. And Kuzma. Holy shit. I'm so jealous," He kept watching while Kagami enjoyed his friend's starstruck expression. "Harden is doing so good too here. It's such a close game." Then, the video cut off. "Hey! Why did you stop recording?"

"Uh, because I wanted to enjoy it?" The sub-ace grinned before snatching his phone back, this time far more relaxed than before.

There was a short silence before Aomine decided to speak up. "So. Shuutoku tomorrow."

The response was immediate. "You're coming, right?"

"Yeah," He scratched his head. "Hey, I didn't mean to ignore you. I was seriously just busy and always came home exhausted. And about the whole rival thing..." He stuck his bottom lip out. "Ithastobeyou."

It came out stammered and mumbled but Kagami somehow caught it. With a big flush on his cheeks, he turned away and put a hand on his suddenly throbbing heart.

Equally embarrassed, Aomine hugged his knees and raised his voice. "So get better already, Bakagami! I'm gonna retire first before you catch up to me at this rate."

"T-then watch me play tomorrow!" Kagami snapped his face towards Aomine. He pursed his lips and cupped the ace's cheeks with his two hands so their eyes could meet. "I swear I won't slow you down. I'm gonna keep up with you and force you to admit that I'm good enough to be your rival. Watch," He swallowed. "I'll always be one step behind you so I can support you. You're not going to be alone tomorrow. Or the day after. Or _ever_."

Seeing the wide eyes on Aomine's face that made his frown lines disappear, Kagami gave him a determined smile.

"You don't have to play by yourself anymore. Even if you don't trust the others, I'll make you trust me."

Aomine's lips quivered as he sucked in a sharp breath. He'd never thought _anyone_ would ever say something like that with such a genuine expression. But that was how Kagami was. He never said things he didn't mean, which was why Aomine would believe anything the redhead said. If Kagami said someone like Aomine was a good guy, then he'd trust it too. If Kagami said he'd be a rival, then hell yeah. And if Kagami said he'd keep up, he _would_. With warmth suddenly surging in his body, he gripped Kagami's wrist and smirked. "Why be behind me when you can run next to me and we'll tear through the court together?"

The half-taunting, half-reassuring tone of Aomine's voice made Kagami laugh. A firm nod was given in exchange and he moved his hands up to Aomine's hair to ruffle it. "That works for me too!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk i feel like i'm getting too OOC with the characters but it happens after i write so much... oh well :(( i need to take a break but my plot bunnies said no!!! Anyway, we have about 6 more chapters until we finally can finish this high school part and start moving on to NBA <3 anyway I'm finishing up chapter 17... long, long way to go
> 
> Why am i doing this to myself again???


	15. We Go Up, We Go Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry... lmao there's still a long way before these two will start dating XD but y'all should've expected it when you saw the slow burn tag... <3
> 
> TW: Mentioned suicide

Satsuki's voice was clear in the background as she explained everything about Shuutoku—about the dangerous combination of Takao and Midorima while the rest of the team listened. Kagami had tried, but at some point, his brain short-circuited. Instead of paying attention, he now looked over to the opponent's bench, then at Aomine who had been eerily quiet. The ace sat on the bench, hunching over with his eyes closed and lips pressed tightly into a taut line.

"Score... score..." He muttered under his breath which kind of startled Kagami. With a soft nudge, the blunette snapped back into reality.

"Hey, should I be worried?"

"Leave me alone." Aomine quickly brushed his friend off and closed his eyes once more, then continued muttering those words while he clenched and unclenched his fingers.

It was strange, to say the least, but it legitimately looked like the ace needed that time for himself, so Kagami only hoped that it was just a new pre-match ritual. Seeing the intense focus surrounding Aomine, though, he didn't think he had to worry.

"Kagamin," Satsuki gave him a smile. "Do your best."

The gesture was echoed along with a firm nod. "You bet."

When the whistle signalling the beginning of the match was sounded, Aomine took a deep breath and stood up. Eyes now open, he fell into a state of hyper-focus. He constantly scanned through the court to see where everyone was located—allies and opponents alike. The lack of sharp words must've been a strange sight too for the rest of Touou who narrowed their eyes at their ace.

"I don't like this." Kagami heard Midorima curse under his breath towards Takao who only raised his eyebrows in response.

The line-up was as follow: Kagami as centre, Aomine as power forward, Sakurai as shooting guard, Imayoshi as point guard and Wakamatsu as small forward.

As expected, Kagami's jumping power won them the advantage. He grabbed the ball and started dribbling it towards the opposite hoop, then he spotted Aomine next to him.

_Next to me, huh?_

With a smirk, he came to a halt and threw the ball towards the ace who grabbed it and was immediately double-teamed by two members of Shuutoku. No, a _triple_ team and Midorima was one of them. These guys must know the chink in Touou's armour because the other two tallest players immediately surrounded Kagami.

There was something really off about the panther today. He wasn't electric nor was he deadly. He was there, lurking, biding his time for... something. Kagami moved forward anyway and put his hand up as a signal that he was ready for the pass that would be very risky but the only way out. Unless Aomine could break through past three men which wasn't entirely implausible, but would be a hard gamble considering the aura surrounding the ace right now.

Kagami tried his hardest to break past the players on him but they were relentless. In the corner of his eyes, he saw Aomine mouthed a 'score' slowly before he stopped dribbling, grabbed the ball and threw it with one hand very high up, but while being sandwiched, Kagami wouldn't be able to grab it without being fouled.

Just before the redhead could scream 'idiot!', the ball went straight for the ring and went right through the hoop in a clean, seamless three-pointer signature to Sakurai.

"...A—" The brunette stared at his hands in disbelief.

"Aomine _passed_!??" The whole Touou practically yelled, save for Kagami who stared in disbelief at Sakurai who also looked just as confused.

"It—" The shooting guard stammered. "It just dropped into my hands..."

"Heh," There was the snicker that screamed Aomine. "You're gonna need more than that to stop me, Midorima. Even if you score, we'll score _twice_ as much. There's no way you can beat us."

The greenhead clicked his tongue and paced back towards his position.

Wakamatsu slapped Aomine's shoulder and grinned. "What, you've been practising your passes!? Was that why you missed summer camp?"

Kagami remained there, gaping. However, when Aomine brushed Wakamatsu off and gave Kagami a mischievous wink, the redhead snapped out of it. "Nice pass, stupid. What was that, a damn formless pass?" He grinned.

"That sounds pretty sweet, so yeah, why not? A formless pass it is." He smirked before getting into position, ignoring Satsuki's excited cheers from the bench.

It quickly became obvious that Shuutoku wasn't prepared for Touou's performance. Everyone's individual level had been elevated and somehow, they played together a lot better. Passes became more common, assists popped up here and there, mostly from Imayoshi who could predict the opponents' moves better than anyone. And Aomine, he was a whole different person too.

He might not tear through the court like usual. In fact, comparing to his normal hypnotic movements, he was more restrained now—not necessarily holding back because everyone else wasn't as good as he was, but because he needed a _huge_ amount of focus to pass. It was something that the ace wasn't used to at all, and in his defence, those passes were fucking amazing. Kagami knew that if Aomine concentrated more on his individual play, his passes would get far sloppier.

There was something that evoked goosebumps through the way Aomine carried himself that day. He was quiet. He didn't taunt nor did he smirk. Instead, he only stood there, eyes narrow. It was like seeing a whole different person, but Kagami liked this version of Aomine too. By now, he understood that there were still so many layers of the Touou's ace that he had yet to unearth.

Credit where it was due, Shuutoku was no slouch either. Midorima's three-pointers were always a sight to behold and so far, no one had been able to stop it. That combined with Takao's eagle eyes made this team quite deadly. Had Touou been playing like how they did during interhigh, they'd get backed in the corner, but this Touou wasn't one they were prepared for. In fact, no one could've seen it coming.

The team was still clunky. They were far from being a well-oiled machine like Seirin, but they only got better as time went on. As the third quarter hit, they made less and less teamplay mistakes which made Kagami grin like an idiot. From an outsider's perspective, this might seem insignificant. But for Kagami who spent months with this better-than-you team, it was unbelievably cathartic to watch.

Now, Kagami was no guru at teamwork. In fact, he never really thought much about it. But seeing how everyone celebrated each other's victory like _they_ were the one who scored was... out of this world.

It made him not want to lose. 

.

"Yuuji, Yuuji, look!" Shuuji flailed his hands frantically, but his brother was no better. The two jumped up and down, high-fived and hugged each other when they saw how nice Aomine's passes were. "Ohh, he did _another_ one! Tsun-kun's so good!"

"Ohhh, I want to adopt him. Hey, you think dad want another son?" The other blond grabbed his twin's shoulders and started shaking him vigorously.

"I don't know but we should try asking!" He echoed the gesture while Mizuki shook his head and Jacob trying to calm them down.

"Don't make so much ruckus, you two! Let's just enjoy watching Daiki." He grinned while his daughters grabbed him by the sides with twinkling eyes.

"Papa, Daiki nii-chan is playing! He's so good, but not as good as you, papa!"

"Awww, my sweethearts!" He knelt and took them in his arms, coaxing giggles out of them. "Watch Daiki nii-chan closely, dear. Maybe you'll learn something from him too. You two want to play when you're big, right?"

"Yes! Lily wants to play basket too! Do you think Daiki nii-chan would wanna play with us?"

"He'd better. Papa will make him!" The eldest proclaimed proudly and it was replied with excited cheers from the little ones.

"Kagami Taiga..." Mizuki noted pensively. "He's very impressive. I thought no one would be able to rival Aomine, but..."

"That Shuutoku guy is crazy too... just what's with high schoolers these days? I don't remember things being this chaotic a few years ago," The twins said together, but was distracted by the two boys currently marking Aomine. "It's a shame that he's way less aggressive when he's trying to focus on passing. Can you imagine once he's good at that too?"

"It'll only be time. He's crazy talented. And I think he's not even trying to focus on that anymore. His speed's ramping up."

Jacob narrowed his eyes at the beautiful passes he executed to his redheaded friend and hummed. "I see," He smiled, making the others look at him. "I see why he's so taken with Kagami. All of usstruggle to keep up with Daiki but he isn't." Said the tallest as he watched the two aces running side by side. "They make each other shine."

"Truly. And what's more—they have another two years to polish their teamwork before graduation. If they take things to the next level, I believe they can make it very far." Said Mizuki as they all fell silent and continued watching the match.

.

Aomine had been so focused on his own play. As such, he wasn't prepared for what he saw during the late third-quarter.

Shuutoku kept up well for a team that was unprepared for the Touou now. They were only eight points behind, thanks to Midorima's unstoppable three pointers and Takao's relentless steals and intercepts. Aomine had always known that the Miracles could be quite annoying. This didn't change his opinion at all. Everyone passed to Midorima at every opportunity and the bespectacled asshole would always turn it into a basket.

Their best bet right now was to outplay Takao using Imayoshi and Satsuki's strategies. They huddled up during timeout earlier so they could review the point guard's style and ability in order to neutralise his eagle eyes. What they could do was damage mitigation and not nullification, but it was their best bet.

It was fine and dandy until they got distracted by other players of the Shuutoku team. Takao used to that opportunity to snatch the ball that Wakamatsu passed and tossed it to Midorima with that lazy smirk of his.

"Defense!" The blond panicked but Kagami was already there. Just a millisecond after Midorima released the ball in a lob, the redhead jumped with a battle cry and slapped it away.

Needless to say, everyone was shocked. Aomine stared wide-eyed at Kagami who flew even higher than before. He didn't think that was even _possible._ The guy's jumping power wasn't to be trifled with, but this was a whole new level of ridiculous. Forget power forward, he'd make a killer defense player with that block.

Hm. Defense player. Now that was food for thought. Now he thought about it, being able to soar the way Kagami did make him a versatile player. Block, rebound, scoring. If Kagami could reach the peak one millisecond faster than the other player could, then he'd win all the time. In theory, anyway.

"So you haven't been slacking." Aomine remarked, hands on his hips.

"Told ya." His friend replied just as smugly.

Actually, Aomine noticed it too even though he didn't think much about it due to his concentration. Kagami played much better today. He wasn't straining anymore even though he tried to keep up with the Touou's ace. As a result, it was easier for Aomine to find the opportunity to pass to his fellow ace.

More than ever, Aomine was interested to play Kagami in a one-on-one now. That time in America must've served him well and Aomine couldn't wait to experience the full thing. If he could rock the court like this, what kind of magic could he do by himself?

"Yo, Kagami," The blunette said, catching the redhead's attention. "If you keep that up, I'll ask you to play one-on-one after."

"Wait, for real? Hell yeah!" He fistpumped in response, then the game resumed.

True to his words, Kagami thwarted most of Midorima's attempts at scoring with his ridiculous jumps while Aomine's focus slowly but surely dwindled. Having to keep up visualising his teammates as the basket ring was tiring as hell and he ended up reverting to his normal playstyle. Amazingly enough, Kagami _still_ kept up with him. As a result, the two aces synchronised, constantly playing around each other.

It helped that passing to Kagami was far easier than the rest of the team, mostly because of how similarly they played. No one else could keep up with him the way Kagami could—especially now. Aomine didn't even have to think twice before throwing the ball because he knew Kagami would always be there to support him. This guy had improved by leaps and bounds. How far did he want to run until he was satisfied? The image of Kagami working hard to improve his skills tingled Aomine's bone.

Not one person in his life ever ignited him as much as Kagami did. This tiger wearing number 10 was a starving, insatiable beast that would stop at nothing to tear through his next meal and honestly, Aomine was a little intimidated.

The sudden change of pace surprised everyone except the two. Shaken, Shuutoku tried to regroup, but Touou's defenses were relentless. They took advantage of that momentary footing loss to continue attacking, pressuring and driving their opponents into the corner.

Final five seconds.

Aomine ran towards the ring, confident that he could score _one_ more basket. He wanted to see the ball going into the hoop and making that satisfying 'slosh' sound that he thought he'd never again want to hear. The court that he, only a few months ago, saw in grayscale now slowly started to come alive. Not only that, but he could also see everything more clearly now.

When he finally looked beyond the person in front of him, he saw his teammates running with him. Imayoshi, Sakurai, Wakamatsu, Kagami. All of them were just as exhausted as he was, but they looked so alive.

At that moment, what Jacob said echoed in the back of his head.

_"You are a gifted player, Daiki, but once you learn to trust others, you will see that there's more to basketball than what you can see right now. And when you can see everything clearly, I guarantee you, you will have lots of fun."_

And maybe there was truth in those words. He always played by himself, so naturally, he trusted himself above all else. It was tiring. When he tumbled during middle school, he had no one to break his fall because his pride denied him that. But now, he could see a world beyond just individual basketball and it was a world he wanted to explore. It was new; a refreshing change of pace.

In front of him, stood Midorima and Takao, both of them determined to stop Aomine in his track.

From between the bodies, he saw a big number 10 running towards the ring. He glanced back and forced cool blue to meet passionate red.

Aomine knew there was no need for cues or words. With a disbelieving chuckle, he lobbed the ball towards the ring.

"Long!" Takao called, but Aomine 'tsk-tsk'ed in response.

Kagami jumped before the ball could hit the backboard and jammed it in with all his might in a perfectly executed alley-oop.

Then the whistle blew.

.

After a million hugs from Satsuki and a long, drawn-out debrief session, everyone was finally clear to go. All of them stretched their limbs and yawned but it was well-deserved, considering everyone used their last few remaining brain cells left to keep the teamwork up. Playing your own basket wasn't an easy habit to break, but that match was a step in the right direction.

They all remembered the whispers from the audience saying that 'this Touou is different!' or 'that was so cool, how they suddenly changed playstyle' ran rampant. No one admitted it, but those were compliments that encouraged them to do better.

Aomine's buddies came as promised too. They looked extremely happy to see their friend's performance.

"What a shame that this is our last tournament." Susa had expressed his dismay after they ate out together at Maji burger. Imayoshi might not explicitly say it but he probably felt the same. You could never be too sure about that guy.

Currently, it was already evening and the two aces who did an exceptional job that day could be spotted walking side by side. Aomine yawned and kept quiet most of the way home. His brain was probably in a shut-down mode thanks to all the thinking he did. Kagami was no less tired, though. His muscles ached after putting them in overdrive. Keeping up with Aomine was doable now, but it was always so exhausting.

"Ball?"

The one-word question made a second wind course through the redhead. In an instant, he perked up and nodded fervently. "Let's go!" Even though he was the one invited, he was the more excited one of the two. Dragging Aomine towards the nearest streetball court, he beamed. This would be his first one-on-one with Aomine since mid-August.

"Basketball idiot." The ace rolled his eyes but had a fond smile.

Both of them were equally tired as they set down their duffel bags and did some stretches prior to their second round of exercise.

"So I did good enough?" Kagami had a toothy grin that made Aomine's heart skip a bit.

"Don't get cocky. You did the bare minimum." The crude words did nothing to faze Kagami who kept laughing like he was having a field day. By now, he was past taking offense in what thoughtless remarks Aomine spat out. Kagami learned to squint to find the hidden compliments behind them. The ability to tell the difference between a legitimate insult or not was quite obvious for the redhead.

"You've been practicing your passes," He smiled as he bounced the ball on the concrete and got the game started. They fell into a rhythm quite quickly despite their fatigue. Swapping from right to left hand as he avoided Aomine's steal attempt, he advanced. "It was the first time I saw you so focused. It's a good look on you."

The idle comment made Aomine's heart throb. That moment of weakness led to Kagami charging past him and dunking. The redhead landed with his arms in the air, fingers clenched.

"Yeah!"

"That was _cheating_."

"You're just salty you lost," Kagami fistpumped again. "Woah, that felt _good_! C'mon, I'll score again!"

Aomine let out a smug snort as he rolled his eyes and grabbed the ball. He had to admit that right now, Kagami might be quite a challenge to beat. It made him feel unbelievably happy—the happiest he'd felt in so damn long. The rival he had been waiting for was finally drawing near and it was simply exhilarating.

His fingers itched to feel that ball in his palm again. He wanted to run past Kagami and wanted Kagami to run past him. He wanted to hear the bouncing of basketball and the whooshing of the hoop being penetrated as they played. Aomine was convinced that once Kagami took that one more step forward, he'd finally be able to reach his back and turn his nightmares into sweet dreams.

"Whoa!" Aomine jabbed his arms forward the moment he saw Kagami tumbling.

"Shit. My bad." The redhead hissed but couldn't stand back up without losing his balance once more.

"Let's go back," The blunette panicked a little at the sight of Kagami wincing, hand reflexively reaching for his knee. "You okay? Do we need to see a doctor or something?"

"Nah, it's fine. No big deal." He was escorted to the bench where Kagami immediately stretched his legs and tapped on them a few times.

Aomine grabbed the basketball, put it in his friend's duffel bag and put both bags on his left shoulder. His other hand curled protectively around Kagami as he hoisted the redhead up. "Just lean on me."

"I can walk by myself."

"Don't. We have a match tomorrow, so don't even think about it."

Kagami hung his head while he limped. It stung a little but it had mostly faded away after he rested. He could just tear away from Aomine's coddling, but it was always nice to see the ace's concern that only showed sporadically. Sweaty as they might be, Kagami leaned into his friend anyway with his cheeks dusted pink.

They arrived at his place soon enough but the first thing he saw was a familiar face waiting for him outside.

"Taiga!" Was Alex's voice as she slammed into the poor redhead and kissed him on the lips the moment his back crashed against the wall.

Distressed that Alex would do something like that in front of his friend, Kagami shoved her away and wiped his mouth. "I told you to cut it out! Especially when we're in _Japan_!"

She ignored her pupil. Instead, she turned towards a very shocked Aomine and a second before she could attack him too, Kagami restrained her. "I want to say hello to your friend. This is your rival, right?" She said in English.

"Well, say it with a wave, not a goddamn _kiss_!" It was also in English.

"Aww, Taiga's jealous..." She lowered her voice to tease him, not forgetting to fling an arm around his shoulders.

It quickly evoked combustion of red on Kagami's face as she covered his face with a growl. "I'm not—Alex, just _stop_! Let me just introduce you to..." When the redhead finally looked ahead, he noticed that Aomine was no longer there. "Where did he go?"

"He sure is fast."

"This is your fault!" Kagami ducked away from her grip and ran down the stairs to see Aomine already walking across the street with both hands in his pocket. "Aho! Where are you going?"

It took the blunette a few seconds before his shoulders relaxed and he turned to face Kagami with a grin. "Have fun, hotshot! Don't forget we have a match tomorrow!" With a swift two-fingers salute, Aomine walked off.

Kagami stood there, confused. Realisation of what Aomine said finally dawned on him, but the ace was no longer within sight. "I'm not having sex with her! Ugh." The redhead ran back up the stairs to yell at his shameless teacher.

.

Aomine ended up ignoring all of Kagami's 'call me, idiot' text messages and turned off his phone before his friend could call him.

The bluehead rolled on his bed until his nose was buried in his pillow and he groaned into it. He tried not to let what he saw earlier to bother him, but he was doing an awful job at it. Honestly, he wouldn't care as much if it was just Kagami sleeping around with other people, but the kiss... well, that was a whole another story. Call him a sap, but Aomine thought that lips-to-lips contact was something intimate that shouldn't be shared with just about anyone. It was one thing to have sex but it was a whole another thing to directly exchange bodily fluids like that.

Of course, he'd never tell Kagami that. Imagine if the guy found out that his rival was just one big hopeless romantic. His reputation would be _crushed_! So, he did the best thing he could do which was to shrug it off.

It was still early in the night, so Aomine got off the bed and turned on his computer to game. Just when he was about to put on his headset, he heard the front door unlocking.

_Fuck. He has my keys. How did I forget that?_

Cursing under his breath, Aomine kicked his bedroom door open and peeked outside. "Oi, go home! You've got your girl—" He felt his heart stopping. Aomine's eyes widened and his jaw went slack at the sight that awaited him.

Nothing happened for a moment. The ace gritted his teeth, slammed his door back shut and locked it.

Aomine leaned against the wooden frame and slowly sunk to his rear. Both his hands gripped the opposite shoulders tightly. They shook violently as he resisted the urge to go out and strangle that son of a bitch who entered.

Soft footsteps could be heard and it was absolutely deafening. Especially when it stopped in front of his room.

"Daiki," Was the voice of the man he once called his father. "I'm home."

"Fuck you. Why don't you just never come back." He spat out before standing up, opened his wardrobe and shoving clothes into his duffel bag. He didn't want to stay in that place one second longer.

With his bag on his shoulder, Aomine pushed the door open only to immediately come face-to-face with his one parent.

"Daiki—"

"You're in the way." Coldly, he slammed his shoulder into his father's and he paced towards the genkan.

"Where are you—"

"Anywhere but here. I can't stand looking at a murderer's face a second longer." It was like his heart was being squeezed. There was a lump in his throat and a familiar sting of tears in his eyes. The bluehead put on his shoes and left the house.

He didn't know where to go.

Satsuki would surely force him to go back, considering how much she wanted him and his father to get along once more. Kagami? No, he didn't really want to hear the two going at it, thank you very much. That only left Kuroko but Aomine realised that he left his phone at home. It had his travel and debit card on it.

So, he made a beeline towards the nearest street court. Once he entered, he threw his bag and sat on the bench while looking up at the sky.

 _It's not fair,_ Aomine thought to himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, then hunched his back. His throat burned as he tried to swallow back the dam of emotion that broke. Still, he sobbed. It wasn't long-lived. With a sharp inhale, he slapped his cheeks and forced himself to get it back together.

For now, he needed to find a place to sleep. If the cops found him lying around on the bench, he'd get taken away for sure. So, he'd need to go somewhere hidden. His answer was the green area near the court. It was well-concealed with neatly trimmed bush and two large trees.

"Dai-chan!" Came the voice he didn't really want to hear. It was too late to run, so he stayed there as Satsuki caught up to him. "Your dad—"

"He's not my dad." The blunette cut sharply.

"—called me, saying that you left."

"And I'm not going back either. He'll probably fucking kill me if I do, that disgusting murderer."

Sensing the obvious distress, she hugged her childhood friend from the back. She might want the two to reconcile, but she knew when to give ground. "Ssh, it's okay. Come to my place instead?"

With a hesitant nod, they both made their way towards Satsuki's house. It was a long and quiet way back, but neither wanted to disrupt the silence.

"Oh, Daiki!" Her parents immediately crowded the pair the moment the door opened. "Good, Satsu found you. Dear, can you get the guest bedroom ready?"

"On it!" The male gave a thumbs up while the two ladies watched over Aomine as he sat on the couch, shoulders slumped.

"...I don't wanna go home." He muttered shakily.

"Oh, honey... you'll be fine," The elder pulled him in her embrace. "He already apologised for what happened... Deep down, you know he regretted what he did."

"Regrets and apologies won't bring her back!" He raised his quivering voice, making Satsuki sob into her hands. "It's his fault... it's his fault that she's dead. He's a murderer. Mum's dead while he's alive. He fucking better feel guilty for the rest of his life."

"Dai-chan!" Satsuki hugged him and in turn, drenching his shoulder with her tears. "I know. It's hard and it might seem like he's the only one to blame, but... but this has gone on for too long. The more you hate him, the more your wound will fester. We're not asking you to forgive him. We just want you to _speak_ to him. He's so worried about you..."

"I can't," He choked out. "I don't want to."

Everything fell quiet again and by the time Kojiro stepped into the living room, Satsuki's tears had dried up. With a deep breath, she pulled away from her friend. "...Would you like to go to Kagamin's?"

"No."

The blatant refusal made her flinch. "Why? He's your friend. He won't make fun of your weakness."

" _No_ ," He added once more. "He's got his busty babe over. They're probably fucking as we speak. I'm not _that_ desperate."

"His _what_?" The pinkette was taken aback. "You're probably just jumping to the conclusion again. Have you spoken to him about it?"

"Do I need to? They fucking _kissed_ , Satsuki. Then she held him, said some shit in English and he blushed. He _blushed_ like an idiot in love. Do I _need_ an explanation?"

"But that doesn't make any sense! After all, Kagamin likes—" She snapped her mouth shut. "Anyway, I'm calling him, okay? Stay put."

.

It was around 9:30 PM that Kagami started pacing back and forth in his living room while nibbling on his nails. Alex was relaxing in the tub, blissfully unaware of the turmoil inside her pupil's head. The sound of some reality TV show blaring in the background did little to soothe his spiking concern.

Earlier, he received a phone call from Satsuki asking about who this 'busty babe' Aomine was talking about was. Obviously, Kagami answered with: "My shameless basketball coach who thinks it's A-OK to kiss everyone she meets." It was something he already told Aomine too, through text, but obviously, the asshole didn't read it. His phone was probably out of juice or something, considering how his many calls bounced back. Anyway, Satsuki told him that Aomine was coming there and that the sub-ace should be prepared for the worst.

He didn't really know what she meant by that. It had been half an hour since the call and _surely_ , Aomine would've arrived already. The doorbell still hadn't rung and it only agitated him further.

"Taiga, where are you going?" Alex walked out of the shower stark naked. The fact that Kagami didn't comment made her sense that something was amiss.

"I'll be back." Kagami tied his shoelaces and opened the door to go get Aomine, but he stopped when he saw the man he was waiting for sitting next to his apartment unit's porch. The bluehead flinched and their eyes met. There was this vulnerability in those blue eyes that Kagami hadn't seen ever since... _that_ night. That alone made him sink to his knees to pull his friends into a tight hug.

"Stop babying me. I'm fine," Was the surprisingly firm answer. Kagami wasn't so easily fooled, though. Having known this guy, he could hear the tinge of pain in that voice. "I didn't even wanna be here... Satsuki forced me."

"Come inside, stupid." The redhead stood up and tugged his friend up. When they entered, Alex was already fully-clothed and was sitting on the couch. She shot the boys a look of understanding that eased Kagami a little. She might be insensitive most of the time, but even she wasn't so crass as to disrupt the thick tension.

Aomine kept his head down all the way inside. He kicked off his shoes and let himself be dragged into Kagami's familiar bedroom. It was pathetic how the leftover aroma of dinner wafting in the air was enough to calm him down. There was something homey about Kagami's barren apartment.

Once they settled and closed the door for some privacy, Kagami joined Aomine on the bed. The blunette looked skittish with the way he hugged his knees and made himself as small as possible. "I'm interrupting, ain't I?"

"You're not," The redhead scratched his head in exasperation. "Alex is my basketball coach. She's like... an annoying mother. And before you say it, yes, she kisses everyone she meets. I'm not an exception. That's not the point, though," He scooted closer towards his friend. "What's wrong?"

"M' dad," Replied the taller one. "He's back."

Not a good start. Kagami knew how much Aomine hated his parent's guts, judging from his violent reaction during the beach trip. However, he said nothing. It was unwise to start blabbing when he didn't get the full picture.

"He killed my mum. And I won't forgive him."

"...Shit." He immediately put a hand on the ace's back.

"I _hate_ him," Aomine hissed, voice brimming with seething rage. "She trusted him. She _loved_ him. But he turned around and—"

Kagami noticed the way Aomine's fingers quaked like he was ready to punch the wall. So, he used his free hand to hold his friend's and traced comforting little circles with his thumb. It seemed to work because Aomine deflated a little.

"He cheated on her. My mum, she... she was unwell," He took a deep breath. "She was battling her own ghosts and thought she could at least confide in that fucker. She was wrong. He took her heart and crushed it," His shaky blue eyes soon found melancholy. "She hung herself."

"...Shit." Repeated Kagami. He didn't really know what to say at times like this and he hated himself for it.

"I was _fourteen_ ," He choked. "I came home to see her hanging from the ceiling. The worst part? I knew that the bastard was cheating on her, but I didn't tell her shit. If I did... maybe... maybe she wouldn't have to find out on her own."

With bated breath, Kagami held Aomine tightly and kissed his forehead. "You did what you thought was best."

"Well, clearly it was the wrong fucking answer."

If Kagami was any wiser or more experienced, he would've said something. But he wasn't Kuroko. He didn't know what to say to make it all better, so he just sat there, stroking Aomine's hair in the hope that it would help.

"She was my world, y'know? She was the one who'd play basket with me when I was little and had no one else to play with. She was there for me when I started to break apart during middle school. She held me together, so once she was gone, I—" Aomine let out a breath. "That fucker was never home. I don't understand why he doesn't just leave after what happened. I'd rather sleep on the street than under the same roof as him."

"Stay here, then," Kagami said. Just like Aomine, he found himself getting worked up too. How could someone be so cruel? "Don't go back. Stay with me."

"But—"

"Stay. I want you to. It gets lonely when you're not around, y'know?" Said Kagami while pulling back a little just so he could flash a small smile. This was no time for shame. Right now, Aomine needed all the validation he could get. "And whose hair will I stroke at night when I can't sleep?"

That was a successful attempt at coaxing a snort. "Me and my hair. One day I'll shave it just to spite you."

"Please don't do that. I'll probably cry."

"I dunno, that sounds good to me. Give me the scissors and I'll do it now." He grinned, in turn making the unshed tears disappear.

"Asshole," He lightly smacked his friend before shuffling to his feet and grabbing Aomine with him. "C'mon, I'll introduce you to Alex. Just cover your lips because she'll probably attack you."

With an amused scoff, Aomine followed Kagami outside the bedroom to meet this so-called 'coach' of his.


	16. A Taste of Your Own Medicine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE'RE ON FINAL STRETCH GUYS!!!  
> Chapter 20 is gonna be the last high school chapter and then it's off to adulthood time!! <3 If you've read it this far, THANK YOU! Lmao

Kagami ended up sitting out for the last final league match, thanks to Aomine ratting him out to Satsuki who took this drastic measure to 'preserve Kagamin's livelihood'. The concern from everyone was flattering but he absolutely hated twiddling his thumb on the bench while everyone else played Seirin. _Seirin_! With a grumble, Kagami kicked the floor and lightly punched his knees in frustration. The bugger just had to fail him at this most important moment.

He could do nothing but pout while he watched Kuroko and the others putting up one hell of a fight. The animosity that he felt during their previous match against his team was no longer there. Aomine played with a hint of smile on the corner of his lips—especially when he faced Kuroko. Whatever tension settled between them, looked like they mostly sorted it out.

"Calm down, Tai-chan!" Satsuki held down the redhead's jumpy legs that had been twitching up and down for some time. "Watching can be learning too. It's important that you rest so you can participate in the later matches. You're an indisposable asset, you know!"

"I know, I know... but it looks like so much fun. Seirin's so interesting," The redhead scowled as he watched Kuroko tossing another ridiculous pass like he was turning his hand. It was seriously impressive how he could do that and he wondered if the baby-blue-haired male had anything to do with what Aomine could do now. "Who made it to winter cup anyway?"

"Well, we still have to wait for everyone to finish, but I can assure you that Rakuzan is one of them."

The mention of that team was enough for Kagami to tap his right foot against the ground restlessly. "I can't wait to play them."

"Nothing deters you, huh, Tai-chan?" The manager giggled while she continued to scribble on her notebook. "Oh, by the way, I hope things were okay yesterday?"

"Oh, uh... yeah. I introduced him to Alex, so everything is fine, but..." He sighed quietly so Harasawa wouldn't be able to hear him. "He's really unwell because of what happened in the past. I'm worried."

The mention of that made the pinkette turned pensive, but she didn't tear her attention away from the court. "This is the first time he has confided in anyone, you know," She smiled tenderly. "He didn't even tell Tetsu-kun anything about his parents. For so long, my parents and I were the only ones who know. I think it's great that he finally can open up to someone else."

"I feel helpless," Muttered the redhead, eyes fixed on Aomine and then Kuroko who just got subbed out. "I'm bad with words, so I might say something that hurt him."

The two continued observing the match that tipped in Touou's favour. Hyuuga just made an amazing three-pointer that seemed to annoy Sakurai while Aomine exchanged a smug smirk with Kuroko and Kiyoshi. The more he watched the interaction between the two teams, the more he wanted to play.

"Just staying by his side is enough," Satsuki replied after a while. "Thank you, Kagamin."

"I... didn't really do anything," He scratched the back of his head just in time for Aomine to score. "Did he ever think about going pro, back during middle school?"

"None of us thought that far ahead. I think we were just playing because we enjoyed it, not because we wanted to make a career out of it."

"And what about you, Satsuki? Do you ever think of... I dunno, coaching professional teams?"

"I'd be lying if I said I haven't, but it's even more difficult to get that position!" She giggled before scribbling a few more things into her notebook.

"Why don't we all go pro?" With a grin, Kagami leaned back on the bench, both palms flattened behind him. "Then we can all play again like this. Wouldn't that be fun? I mean, Midorima, Kise and Kuroko are already thinking about it, so maybe in a few years, everyone would want to do it too."

The manager smiled fondly at the redhead. "Basket is really all you have in your head."

"Hey!"

"It's not entirely a bad thing. It's thanks to that, that you can improve so quickly. Oh, that reminds me! You have to introduce me to your coach too. It'll be interesting to compare training notes."

"Fuck." Kagami cursed when he thought of these two monsters planning the team's training regiment. That was a recipe for disaster.

The match ended soon enough with ten points difference in Touou's favour. The two teams shook hands after the match and Kagami couldn't help but smile when Aomine and Kuroko talked about something as they walked towards the bench. It was difficult to see it in the beginning, but now he could see that those two were close friends. Aomine seemed to let his guard down around the Seirin member.

"Hmm," Came a melodic, teasing hum from the audience seat. "You're not too bad, Daiki. No wonder Taiga is obsessed with you." Alex commented with a wink that stiffened Aomine's entire body. He tried hard not to look at her chest but failed.

That was rewarded with an elbow to the rib, courtesy of Kagami.

"Ah, you must be Alex-san! I'm Momoi Satsuki." The pinkette paced towards the Westerner and—

"Satsuki, no!" Both aces yelled out simultaneously, but it was too late.

Everyone's eyes popped out of their sockets when Alex closed the gap and landed a sweet kiss on Satsuki's lips. The manager froze and even when the former WNBA player pulled away, she only stood there.

Then suddenly, her face combusted into red and she turned towards Seirin's bench. "Tetsu-kun, this isn't what it looks like!" But Kuroko wasn't even watching her. The phantom sixth man had already walked off with Kiyoshi and Izuki.

"Oh, no... he's angry at me now! What do I do?"

"I doubt he cares." Aomine rolled his eyes along with Kagami who just snorted. The moment of weakness led Alex to approach the bench and kiss Wakamatsu.

The blond melted into a puddle.

"Stop her!" Kagami lunged towards her teacher before there were any more casualties. She laughed as she avoided her pupil's grip all the way to the locker room. When everyone settled down for a debrief, the redhead cleared his throat and pointed at her. "This is my coach. Former WNBA player."

"Alexandra Garcia." She winked at the room and almost instantly, it stole everyone's breaths away.

Aomine was not immune to her charms too. With his eyes permanently fixed on her boobs, he had this blissful smile on his face that made Kagami want to roundhouse kick him.

Harasawa was quiet throughout the entire ordeal. He only sat there shaking his head in exasperation, but soon, he spoke up. "So you were in charge of Kagami's training regiment?"

"Something like that."

"Can we exchange notes, Alex-san? I'd like to know your methods..." Satsuki shot up energetically and that made the former pro blink in surprise before she put her into a headlock and grinned.

"I like you. I like you!"

"We're dead," Kagami slowly backed off until his back hit the locker. Then, he sunk to his knees. "We're _dead_!"

"C'mon, it can't be that bad..." Wakamatsu, looking like he was about to propose, said.

"You don't get it. We have one week before the real deal starts and I hope you all make it." Kagami groaned into his hands. He liked the prospect of getting better, but Alex's methods had always been... crude. He remembered that one time she sicced a dog at him while he had ankle weights on, _at the beach_. He had no choice but to keep running away from that spawn of satan.

Once the debrief was completed, everyone reviewed their last final league match tomorrow which was against Kirisaki Daichi, a team notoriously known for their underhanded tactics, so Satsuki warned Kagami to be very, _very_ careful. They must have suspected that something was up the moment Touou's number 10 wasn't deployed against Seirin, so there was no doubt they would use that information.

She made sure to check everyone's wrists and legs to ascertain that there were no signs of injuries and she went an extra mile to check Aomine especially. Alex only observed quietly through the entire process, but there was a gleam in her eyes.

"I'll take you to Morimoto-san to do a thorough examination because you're probably lying to me," She grabbed Aomine by the ear and immediately dragged him away, kicking and screaming. "Tai-chan, rest up, okay? No one-on-one!"

"Don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't cause any trouble." Alex slapped Kagami's back, making him almost lose his balance.

While complaining, the pair made their way outside. The whole way to the station, they discussed about the earlier game against Seirin. Alex admitted that Kuroko and Kiyoshi made a deadly combi and that Aomine was very obviously the best player out of everyone there. Kagami didn't know why, but hearing his friend being complimented made him proud too.

"That's not even the best that he can do. He can enter this... weird zone thingy so easily."

"Zone, huh. Now that's a word I didn't think I'd hear again. Especially not from a highschooler." Alex hummed.

"It's a weird feeling. When we entered it together a few months ago, it was like... uh, we could _talk_. But we weren't even talking," At the curious look shot towards him, he continued. "Like I understood what he wanted to do and vice-versa. Almost like telepathy or something."

"You entered it too? And you didn't think to tell _me_?" She looked like she was about to punch him on the shoulder, so Kagami swiftly moved away. "You say that he can enter it easily. So, how did you get there?"

"He helped me," The redhead rubbed the back of his neck. "He did the bare minimum and forced me to do something about the stalemate. I guess I ended up getting too into it and the next thing I know... Yeah. It felt so good, though. Like I can do anything." He stared at his right hand.

There was something unreadable in Alex's eyes at the story, but it was clear that her interest was piqued. "That's—"

"Good evening," A tall male clad in casualwear of plaid shirt and jeans with his greying hair slicked back suddenly stopped them in front of the station. The two looked up at him and his familiar dark blue eyes. "Are you Kagami Taiga, perchance?"

"Uh... yeah?"

He offered a hand that Kagami took in a firm handshake. "My name is Kazuhiro. Aomine Kazuhiro."

The redhead froze. 

"Is it okay if we speak privately?"

With one glance from Kagami, Alex nodded and walked away. She might not have a full picture of what happened yesterday, but she knew enough to know that this wasn't something meant for her ears.

The pair headed towards the nearest cafe where they ordered a cup of coffee. It was quiet. They took a sip of their respective drinks and when the elder put his cup down, he sighed.

"Did Daiki tell you everything?"

"About how you cheated on your wife and made her hang herself because of it? Yeah, he did." He answered perhaps a bit too crudely, but he didn't care for manners at this point. This man was the person who took Aomine's mother away from him.

He flinched at the accusation but said nothing in return.

"So, what did you wanna talk to me about?"

"Please take care of him." He said quietly.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Leaning back into the booth, Kagami widened his eyes in disgust. "You're _abandoning_ him?"

"It's better for him if we part ways. After all, he no longer listens to what I have to say. He can't even tolerate me enough to want to be in the same space as me. Daiki..." He sighed sadly. "He's such a nice kid. If there's anything I regret, it's not spending more time with him. Sometimes I feel like if only we talked more, then it wouldn't have to come down to this."

"Then you shouldn't have cheated on your wife."

"I know," He lowered his head. "But our marriage wasn't based on love, to begin with. I wasn't aware that at some point, she fell for me and took my playing around seriously. I haven't been with anyone else ever since. But believe me when I say I _love_ Daiki."

And of _course,_ it had to be more complicated. However, there was something genuine behind the elder's words that calmed Kagami down a little. "If you really do love him, then why are you never home? That would only make him believe that you're out there sleeping with other people, you know."

"It's partly because of my work, but mostly because I'm ashamed. I can't walk in without remembering what I did to Yoko—to Daiki."

"Look, I'm not good at this... emotion stuff, so I'll just say it straight out. What you're doing only makes him hate you more," He chugged what was left of his coffee and slammed the cup on the saucer. "Anyway, Aomine will stay with me for now, but you better be home when he finally goes back."

Without even waiting for a response, he stormed off. It wasn't like he minded being dragged into this, but he wasn't well-versed in family tension, not when he never had one with his own, what with his dad too busy for anything. All he could do right now was to calm Aomine down and then maybe, everything would deescalate. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that Kazuhiro was sincerely apologetic for what happened. Aomine being Aomine, of course, he didn't want to listen,

When he reached his place, Alex and Aomine were already on the dining table, eating some takeaway.

"Oh, I thought you'd be out longer. I didn't get any for you." She commented.

"That's fine, I've got leftover gyoza in the fridge. I'll just heat those up," Once he put his shoes neatly on the rack, he walked in and headed straight for the fridge. "Your legs okay, Aho?"

"Mm. Satsuki's just a drama queen." Then, he took one more slurp of his noodles.

"So, Taiga told me you can access the zone easily. What's up with that?" Alex said as Kagami worked in the background to get his plates ready.

"Dunno. It just comes when I want it to."

"So... if I tell you to get in the zone right now, you can do that?"

"It's not as simple as that," The blunette scowled. "I need a reason to get into it too. It doesn't work on a whim. Like, if the guys I'm playing against can do shit-all, then there's no point in getting in the zone, right?" He twirled his fork and put a piece of tempura in his mouth.

"And Taiga said that you entered it with him, at one point. Are you saying that you two were backed into the corner so much, you had to jump in as well?"

"That was a different story. Sure, Kise's strong, but he held back 'cause he's an idiot with an inferiority complex when it comes to basket and especially me. Anyway, I got in the zone 'cause I wanted to see how far Bakagami can go in it. Turns out, he was pre-tty passable." It was replied with a kick to the chair leg that made him smirk teasingly.

Alex had a pensive look as he digested the information, then a cunning smirk that frightened both males grew. She made a low snicker before clapping her hands once and stood up. "That settles it. After tomorrow, I will personally train you two!"

"WHAT!?"

.

The match against Kirisaki Daichi was finally upon them. Satsuki had warned everyone in advance that this was a team they had to be extra careful of. Stretching his legs, the team warily glanced at their opponent and the tension remained until Aomine slapped the back of Wakamatsu and Kagami's head.

"Bastard!" Both of them yelled simultaneously.

"You look dumb, glaring like that. Don't tell me you're scared of some dirty play?"

"I'm not _scared_!" Again, simultaneously.

"Kaha! The idiots really share one brain cell." The blunette rolled his shoulders, then walked towards the court while he ignored the ruckus from Aomine and Kagami in the background. Unlike everyone else, he wasn't even worried about these guys. After playing streetball for so long, he got exposed to all sort of underhanded tactics. If they dared to try anything, Aomine would just have to show them what _real_ dirty play was like.

As if reading the ace's mind, Satsuki crossed her arms and shot him a stiff, "Dai-chan."

"Can't promise anything." He gave a crooked smirk that didn't help alleviate her worries. It was too late for that talk, though.

A few minutes into the game, Touou trampled Kirisaki Daichi to the ground. Between their newfound teamwork along with the two aces, no one could get past them. Aomine and Kagami's synergy was in a tiptop shape probably because of how much energy the latter had after not playing yesterday.

"Pieces of trash." Aomine laughed viciously as he passed the ball from right to left hand from the back that was followed with a feint-pass and a pivot. When he glanced sideways, he saw Kagami running along with him towards the unguarded ring. No one was fast enough to catch up with them. With a triumphant smirk, he jumped, passed the ball from left to right from under his legs and lobbed it up to the ceiling.

It was high; higher than anyone's reach. Anyone whose name wasn't Kagami Taiga anyway. With a roar, the tiger soared above Aomine, stopped the ball mid-flight and dunked it in for a very flashy and playful two-pointer.

"Looking good." The blunette smacked his friend's ass.

"Aho—!" Kagami rubbed his rump, face as red as his hair, but that only made Aomine's shit-eating grin grow.

With a scowl, he ran back to his position to get the game started again. It was the middle of the second quarter and they were leading by... a lot. Kagami didn't keep tabs on the score. He was just glad he could play again after the break yesterday.

He had the ball clutched in his hands for a pass when players from Kirisaki Daichi surrounded him. With an annoyed click of the tongue, he looked around for his fellow ace, but there was no room for him to move. The redhead nudged himself to the left but everyone simultaneously responded. Then to the right, but to no avail.

It was getting close to the five seconds mark now. Hoping that Aomine would be able to catch it, Kagami prepared to throw the ball. However, suddenly there was an impact on his right knee that made him stumble and fall.

"Fuck!" The ball rolled away and it was stolen by number 5 who had a smirk on his face. Kagami tried to get up, but by the time he did just that, it was too late. Behind him, he heard Aomine's footsteps. "Let my guard down. We'll take the point back." He wiped his sweat using his jersey before lightly tapping on his knee. It didn't hurt anymore, but what was weird was how silent Aomine was. So, he turned around.

"I'll kill them." The ace hissed. His frown lines were more pronounced than ever and when his eyes moved from the opposing team to Kagami, the redhead flinched. That was the angriest he'd seen Aomine.

"Hey, it's okay. Won't happen the second time." But that response wasn't met well. Instead of calming down, Aomine started gritting his teeth and cracking his knuckles.

"It won't. I'll make _sure_ of it."

.

Satsuki called a timeout after the incident to make sure nothing major happened. She gently massaged Kagami's legs and asked him a few questions. It wasn't Aomine's area of expertise, so he let her handle it.

That was no accident. What happened at the court back then was thoroughly planned and executed. There were no apologies, no fouls. Only triumphant snickers that boiled Aomine's blood.

"Wakamatsu," The dark-skinned male motioned at the other very frustrated player. They exchanged a brief _look_ as if trying to prove that they were furious at the same thing before the blond relented and walked forward to the player he hated. "Let's get them back for it. A _hundredfold._ "

"I'm listening."

If anyone noticed the unlikely pair's discussion, they turned a blind eye.

.

Kagami thought it was weird how Wakamatsu and Aomine kept looking at each other during the match like they were about to do some synchronised teamplay. Not like he'd mind seeing how that'd turn out, but it was highly suspicious more than it was interesting. Deciding that it was probably best to focus on his own pace, he quickly looked away.

Stranger still, no one had passed to him for a whole one minute and it was annoying him. He wanted to touch the basketball, not pointlessly run around like some headless chook.

With a growl, he watched as Wakamatsu positioned himself behind number 5 in green, not allowing him to take a step back without incurring a foul while Aomine zipped right in front of the said number 5. Shortly behind them was Imayoshi who was standing directly in the referee's line of sight.

It was a weird arrangement, to say the least. Touou was up to something and he wasn't sure if he liked not being kept in the loop.

The redhead sprinted to the other side where he could clearly see his two teammates sandwiching this dark-haired opponent. Aomine took aim for the ring, but instead of lobbing it, he threw it full-strength at the lower-right side of the backboard, then moved out of the way. The ball rebounded at light speed right into the Kirisaki Daichi player's face.

By then, Wakamatsu already sidestepped too. He had a satisfied smirk on his face when the other player fell to the ground, blood on his nose.

"Ah... _my bad_ ," Aomine snickered as he drawled his words out sarcastically. "My hand slipped, you see. Would be a shame if it happens again..."

With a surprised hiss, the centre wiped the blood off his nose and took a timeout. Aomine and Wakamatsu exchanged a discreet low high-five from the hip.

"Daiki..." Satsuki hissed out during the halftime break.

"What? An accident." He shrugged while resting his head on his crossed arms behind him.

"I saw you high-fiving Wakamatsu. You don't get to say it was an _accident_."

"They tried to injure Kagami!" The blond raised defensively. "This guy wanna go to the NBA, so we can't have that crushed thanks to some shitty team. Like hell I'm gonna take that lying down."

"I know you're angry. Trust me, so am I. I wish I can do something about it, but if we get provoked, we risk being found out and in turn, we might be disqualified. You don't want that, do you?"

"I'll be fine, guys. Really." Kagami said firmly. He would hate to be disqualified over such stupid thing.

"So you're saying it doesn't matter as long as we don't get caught?" Aomine snickered.

"That's not what I—"

"Fine. I won't do anything only _if_ they don't try anything. I doubt they're stupid enough to target me, so it's probably Kagami they'll get. Don't worry," The blunette tapped the manager's shoulder. "I won't get caught."

"We're not fighting fire with fire!"

"Says the person who just wants to watch the world burn."

"I don't!" She insisted. "Ugh, just... just take care, okay? Don't do anything reckless and please, if you're hurt, let me know right away."

Third quarter kicked in. It was an absolute mess. Kirisaki Daiichi insisted on their dirty tactics and Aomine kept retaliating with one of his. What was worse, the entire team backed him up. While Sakurai tried to stay away, Wakamatsu gave Aomine a hand and Imayoshi looked like he was having the time of his life, snickering away for every injury they inflicted to the opponent. It was more of a brawl than a basketball game and Kagami wished he could stop them.

But that bastard Aomine, he knew how to hit them where it hurt but in an 'accidental' fashion. Starting from that hard rebound to an intentional falling, elbow to the face plus stomach and a backwards basket dribble to the shin. This guy was a master of dirty plays and Kagami didn't know whether to admire or condemn him. But how could he be angry when Aomine had such a happy look on his face... no matter how fucked up the reason behind it was.

On the bench, Satsuki and Harasawa couldn't even watch the game in favour of shaking their heads.

By the time they won, everyone in the enemy team looked worse for wear. It was safe to say that Kirisaki Daichi wouldn't pull the same bullshit again. Not to Touou, at least.

"Oh man," Aomine cackled away as soon as they reached the locker room. "That was the funnest fucking game I've ever played! I wanna do more of it! Did you see the look on their face? It was priceless!"

"I gotta admit that it was satisfying... You're a really scary guy, you know that?" Wakamatsu laughed along with him. The sight of those two getting along was very strange, and stranger still, their choice of bonding moment. Two people getting along because they tortured the enemies? Fearsome. No, make that three. Imayoshi seemed to agree with the juniors too.

"You guys are psychos. All of you." Commented Kagami while he grabbed a Touou from near his bag.

"Aw," Aomine cracked a shit-eating grin before putting an elbow on his friend's shoulder. "That's _my_ jacket, but if you really want to wear it, then..."

The redhead then noticed the smell of cologne signature to Aomine and he quickly ripped the jacket off his body with his face heating up in embarrassment.

"Ahem!" Satsuki interrupted the merry little band. "As you may have known, we have straight four wins, which means we're going to the Winter Cup. Along with us, Yosen, Kaijo and Rakuzan will be joining as well. Our first match is next week and it will be against Fukuda Sogo academy. Then, Kaijo. They won against Seirin this year too, so I can tell you that this is a different Kaijo to the one we know."

She then turned towards Kagami and Aomine. "Alex-san told me that she will personally take care of you boys, so come back in one piece, okay?"

"Well," Kagami said flatly. "It was nice knowing you."

"Come on, you chicken. It can't be _that_ bad."

Famous last words.

.

And that was the story of Aomine ate his words.

Two days into the training and he wondered why he thought that big-breasted coach would be anything but sadistic. At this point, he might have to start staying away from any future big-boobed coaches, no matter how sexy they were. He wasn't sure how Kagami looked so unfazed by the training. Like, of course, he sweated like a dog, but he didn't whinge even once.

After school in the evening, they would do physical endurance training and until about 6 PM where they'd start playing an endless amount of one-on-ones. Alex seemed dead set on making them some sort of crazy duo who knew each other's playstyles like the back of their hands. Then after that, they'd have a review session where they sat down over some late dinner to discuss potential areas of improvement.

Aomine couldn't handle the load. He mostly just sat there dozing off while Kagami elbowed him to keep him awake. A tough job, but somehow, Aomine didn't want to know what would happen to him if he fell asleep.

"How do you have that much stamina?" The blunette leaned into the redhead's body while they walked home. Alex said that she'd wander off to a bar or something and would come home later.

"It kinda happens when you don't skip training." Quipped Kagami playfully. It was replied with an amused scoff.

Aomine yawned loud and long. In that time, Kagami managed to snake his arm around the other's waist and Aomine reflexively returned the gesture. So, both of them quietly made their way back while holding each other.

"Thanks for worrying back then." Kagami whispered with a smile that he hid by looking to the other side.

"C'mon, you're finally getting somewhere with your shit basket, so I don't want an inferior clone of me to fall yet."

"Fuck off!" 

Instead of relenting, Aomine put an elbow on Kagami's shoulder and whispered low. "That's not what you say when I got my dick up your ass."

Aomine entered Kagami's place with a bruise on his cheek.

"Go take a shower. I'll unpack our stuff." Said the redhead and his friend complied with a drawn-out 'yes mum' that made the homeowner roll his eyes.

He was halfway through cleaning the kitchen when Aomine popped his head through the crack of the bathroom door with a mischievous smile. "You're joining or what?"

The smirk that did things to Kagami the first time he walked towards Touou gate _still_ did things to him. Glad that his face was mostly obscured, he gestured at Aomine to go away while quietly saying, "In a sec."

They ended up having sex in the shower. Aomine held Kagami up by the kneepits and fucked him into the wall. How this guy managed to lift someone who weighed 82 kg in muscles was beyond Kagami, but it only made everything so much hotter. Especially when he could see how his biceps flexed as he pounded into the tight ass.

The redhead curled his body and bit into Aomine's shoulder to muffle his moan, but to no avail. He ended up throwing his head back right against the wall when his partner kept attacking his sensitive spot. The loud 'fuck' of both pain and pleasure that Kagami let out made Aomine chuckle. It was a deep, low rumble that made Kagami throb.

His nails desperately raked Aomine's taut back, not caring if he left marks. In fact, it was a bonus if he did. Pathetic as it might be, Kagami took joy in making sure that Aomine carried a part of him everywhere.

Oh, yeah. He had it bad. He wanted Aomine all for himself, but he was too afraid to say it. Because what if the ace didn't feel the same way? This... relationship would crumble just like that. Kagami didn't want that.

Aomine was a pain in the ass, but the way he was so indifferent about imposing was actually charming. And it wasn't like he was a dickhead _all_ the time. In fact, Aomine had started to more generously display his gentleness, no matter how strange it was. Like during the match against Kirisaki Daichi, for instance. Maybe it was over-the-top since ultimately, nothing really happened to him, but the concern from his fellow ace and his teammates was flattering all the same.

And besides, they still had their entire life to figure it out. So, it was fine to take it slow... right?

As he lied down in bed with Aomine in his arms, Kagami nuzzled the soft blue hair he loved so much. The controlled breathing and the lack of reaction only meant that the other was already out cold, so he landed a kiss on the back of Aomine's ear and nape, then sighed.

"Is falling for you a bad decision?" Quietly, he whispered.

.

Some time during the night, Aomine opened his eyes. He turned towards Kagami and took one look of his peaceful sleeping face and how his usual bright flame died down to a calming ember.

Aomine lowered his eyes. Along with the thumping of his own heart, there was guilt.

"Yeah. It probably is."


	17. And We'll Never Stop Growing

Satsuki turned her wrist and glanced at her watch nervously. She paced back and forth in the locker room restlessly, knowing that there were only five more minutes before they had to get in the court for their match against Kaijo but neither of their aces had appeared. Alex mentioned that they might be running late thanks to a last-minute review session she decided to conduct. Why today!? Yesterday those two showed up on time against Fukuda Sogo.

But by that, she didn't mean they were gonna cut it _this_ close! So, imagine her and the entire team's relief the moment they heard loud footsteps rushing towards the locker room, followed by the slamming of the door as it was forced open.

"Sorry, we're late!" Both of them said and immediately, began unpacking their bags to grab their jerseys.

"Good. You're here. Okay, then get to the court as soon as you boys finished changing," Satsuki pushed everyone else out of the room before turning around. "Hurry!" Then she closed the door.

They were silent as they made their way towards the main stadium where they could already hear the restless crowd chattering among themselves. Wakamatsu eyed Satsuki curiously, then he scratched his head. "Uh... we haven't seen those two in a while. Will they be okay?"

"I trust Alex-san. She saw potential in them and decided to polish them. If everything went according to plan, then our aces would undoubtedly shine together." She hummed despite her still-thrumming heart.

"Aw, man. I want her to train me too..." The blond mumbled, but it was replied with a kick to the back of the leg by the manager.

When they reached the court, Kaijo was already getting ready on the bench. Kise was there too. He waved at her excitedly, but Satsuki didn't miss the seriousness in his blue eyes—one that wasn't there on their last match. 

"Where are your aces? Don't tell me they slept in." He raised his eyebrows challengingly with a slight mock in his tone.

She winked in return. "Oh, don't you worry, Ki-chan. They're coming, so just focus on your team."

True to her words, suddenly, the crowd's chattering became louder the moment the men they had been waiting for entered the court. Kagami and Aomine arrived fashionably late, only two minutes before the game and they fashioned a determined, fiery look that assured Satsuki that they were going to put forth their best performances.

But something was wrong.

One good look at what it was, everyone went: "Oh."

"What're you looking at? Why're you turning away!?" Kagami was the first to react. When he looked towards Kaijo's bench, they, too, stared at the two aces blankly.

Both men looked in the direction of everyone's eyes which was to their jersey.

"Aargh!" Kagami pulled on the hem when he saw a big number 5 written in red. Aomine had the same reaction when he saw that he was wearing number 10. Quickly, both of them stripped their top off, crumpled it and threw it on the other's chest before scrambling to put their proper one and rushing to the court, red-faced.

"How didn't you fucking notice that, you blind shit!?" Aomine punched his friend on the arm.

"Speak for yourself, bastard!" He returned the hit. In front of them, the entire Kaijo team rolled their eyes at their antics which made everything ten times worse. "H-hey, stop that! Let's just play already."

"Yeah... we'll play once you two stop flaunting the fact that you're... tapping each other," Kise lamented with a dramatic sigh. "Well, I hope you're not too tired to go down, Aominecchi, Kagamicchi."

The confident smirk the blond cracked made Aomine put one of his own. As if already forgetting that embarrassing display, he scoffed. "You finally gonna play?"

"Oh, I'm going to _play_." He hunched low, hands on his thighs while the rest of his team leered at Touou with challenging smirks of their own. Just like the boys in black and red, Kaijo went through some metamorphosis too. This certainly would prove to be a match to remember.

.

No more hesitation.

The match against Touou during Interhigh weighed heavily on him, especially what Aomine said about bowing his head when he should've held it up high. It was so unlike Aomine to say something that made so much sense like that, but the ace had always been full of surprises. That was exactly how Kise looked up to him, to begin with.

But now, there would be no more of that. He was going to win against Touou the way he did against Seirin, then he'd prove to himself that it _was_ possible to defeat his idol.

However, he was wrong to think that Aomine had not changed. Instead of standing still, waiting for someone to catch up to him, he had already taken another step forward. Only this time, he wasn't alone.

Kise played and he scored. He took pleasure in breaking past Kagami who never gave up the chase. His eyes remained on the ball the entire time. It was exactly like before except Kagami, too, had improved. It wasn't strange. After all, _this_ was the man Aomine saw as a rival—a _friend_. There was a fire inside Kagami that he had never seen on anyone before; one that was so hot, Kise thought he'd get singed if he got too close. But that flame was the one that relit Aomine's dying one.

Ever since Teiko, Kise thought that Aomine would never meet someone who would light up those eyes of his again. While it was painful to see someone he respected falling into stagnancy, he never did anything about it. Members of Teiko, while they practised and played together, were never truly friends. They were comrades, perhaps. Partner-in-arms. However, they didn't trust each other. Aomine and Kuroko might be the only ones who had a real connection. As such, when Kuroko failed, no one else thought they had the chance.

No.

That was wrong, wasn't it?

In fact, no one but Kuroko _cared._ They pushed, pushed and pushed, then only watched when Aomine fell.

The sad thing was that Kise knew exactly what it must've felt like—to be so good at something that no one could seemingly challenge him anymore. After all, before basketball, he stood in the same shoes Aomine did.

Still, he did nothing.

So, imagine his surprise when he saw those eyes lighting up once more. Kagami had broken Aomine's fall and helped him up, then changed him for the better.

Aomine played like a different person today and it was troublesome. His passes no longer only go to Kagami, but he would throw it to anyone who was open. Sure, it came at a cost of his individual play, but it made everything so much more complicated. Now, not only did they have to keep an eye on the two aces, they had to do the same to the other three.

Touou played around each other much, _much_ better than before that it was starting to get difficult to strategise against them. No longer could Kise do a perfect copy because there was not only one ace that was fully capable of stopping him. There were _two_. The score was dead even by the time third-quarter hit.

Kaijo refused to back down, though. With Kise on the forefront, everyone went on the offensive. The blond activated Akashi's emperor eye while dashing forward with Aomine's full speed. Then, he'd use any opportunity he had to use Midorima's three-pointers, Kuroko's phantom shot and Murasakibara's block.

It was a full-offensive play from both teams known for their raw power and so, the score had ridiculously inflated in the third digit with Kaijo leading, coming to the end of the third quarter.

Everyone was out of breath but was still rearing to go.

During the fourth quarter, Kise started copying Kagami. Starting with his crazy jumps, equally crazy dunks and overall court presence that screamed danger. Through that, he saw firsthand how much Kagami improved. Just a few months ago, his movements were sluggish and slow, comparing to this. This Kagami was far more explosive and honestly, it surprised him that he could fly this high.

It was an addictive sensation. He could see so much of the court from that height and the ring was a lot easier to reach. He could outplay almost anyone in an aerial battle and with a little help with Aomine's spring, he outmaneuvered everyone.

Kaijo led by ten points halfway through the game and Kise started to think that maybe copying Kagami was a mistake.

.

Aomine intentionally tried not to fight against Kise who copied Kagami's technique too hard, even though some part of him was itching for a good slugfest.

In fact, this was probably the easiest way to win against his former teammate and if there was anything that Aomine didn't want to do was to look like a tryhard at basketball. At least not when he could help it. People might see him as someone who brute-forced his way through all the games but thanks to spending so much time with Satsuki, he could strategise when the time called for it.

Right now wasn't the time to push Kise further towards, potentially, the zone. Aomine wasn't blind. He could tell that Kise's sheer focus had been terrifyingly high during the entire game, and if pressed right, he would shift into the zone.

While it would be good to fight against _that_ Kise, this wasn't the time. There were only eight more minutes in the clock and they were behind. Kagami couldn't reliably fall into the zone either, and if it was only both of them who got in the zone, then that might be a bit risky. As much as he hated to admit that he couldn't win against Kise, he feared that them being in the zone together would only result in a stalemate. With Kaijo's point difference, it would be disastrous.

Kise was an incredibly talented player and he wasn't done evolving. Finally, he decided to unveil his true form. But this was as far as he'd go. At least for this match.

Aomine watched the moment Kise failed to make the jump and smirked as the ball Sakurai threw went into the ring.

"End of line, Kise," He said smugly before walking towards Kagami and resting an elbow on his friend's shoulder. "There's no way you can keep up with that much stress on your legs. Not without breaking them."

The blond knelt on the ground and squeezed his ankles that started stinging. He gritted his teeth while the rest of his team surrounded him in concern. A timeout was called soon after.

"This guy trains so much, it'll take an equally big basketball idiot to do what he can. You've lost the moment you started copying him."

"T-that's—" Kagami interrupted with a surprised blush. "That's because I wanna shut you up, stupid! Don't say something so fucking sappy like that!"

"Sappy? I'm not being sappy! Fine. I won't compliment you ever again, got it!?"

"Huh? No, wait! I didn't say that—"

"Heh, you're really annoying now, Aominecchi, with the way you gloat about your teammate." Kise strained out a chuckle. "But I'm glad you changed." He gave his former teammate an apologetic smile. It was one he should've given months back after his failure of helping the ace.

With a smirk, Aomine shrugged. "Well, I can say the same to you." Then, he turned around to get back to the bench with Kagami elbowing him.

.

"Good job, all of you!" Satsuki leapt in excitement as she passed out water bottles to all the regulars who immediately chugged them down. "Sakurai, your three pointers are getting better and better. I think you'll be our next Shin-chan for sure!" She exaggerated. "And Wakamatsu, nice blocks. You really gave them hell. Imayoshi, _excellent_ read. You anticipated everyone's movements and played a vital supporting role." She then turned towards the aces who were still busy screaming at each other and her gaze softened. "And you two..."

_"No, I didn't fucking say that, stupid! All I said—"_

_"Blah blah blah. Not listening."_

"You did so well," She said quietly while the rest of the team only shook their heads fondly at their aces' antics. "I'm so proud of both of you."

Taking a deep breath, she jumped at them and put them in a headlock using her two arms. "Come on, boys. Let's go home!"

.

Kuroko watched the Kaijo vs Touou match with Midorima, Murasakibara and Himuro. All of them were quiet the entire match, which meant that they were just as stunned as he was. Yes, he had anticipated some form of team play from Touou, considering how Aomine asked to help with improving his passes, but what he wasn't prepared for was that the entire team would shift away from their individualistic playstyles and had started to gel well together. He saw it firsthand during his match with them last week, and seeing it from an audience's perspective was even better.

Kuroko had a small, unnoticeable spring in his steps as he followed the bickering aces towards the nearest Maji burger branch. Neither boys had noticed him but it was better this way. Seeing his former light spending quality time with a potential boyfriend was refreshing enough. Their chemistry on-court translated to daily life, which made it even more wonderful.

"Are you saying I can't cook? Because I can. You've just never seen me doing it."

"Then prove it! You can't say one thing and not show me."

"So, you don't trust me? Wow. The audacity. I'm hurt."

"Try that again when you get better at acting, stupid."

Kuroko slurped away on his milkshake while nodding in approval. Kagami looked very happy despite his seemingly aggressive words, and Aomine? He was pretty chipper too. The two might look like they hated each other's guts at a glance but that was far from the truth. In fact, the bickering had been going on for thirty minutes _non-stop_. Quite literally. There wasn't a moment when they were quiet. Even when eating, they'd speak with their mouths full of food. None of those was comprehensible, but they seemed to understand each other just fine, considering the 'mmonhphhbbhy' as a reply to 'nngbhngmmf!'.

Seeing the two trying to strangle each other pleased Kuroko. Things were going okay for the aces, it looked like. So, he stood up and walked outside towards the cafe he promised to meet Satsuki at.

Operation get Aomine and Kagami together was now in session and the first meeting was about to commence.

He entered the rustic establishment to see that they had company. Alex was there along with Wakamatsu and Imayoshi. Satsuki immediately noticed the Seirin player and waved excitedly at him.

"Tetsu-kun! We've been waiting for you." She leapt out of her seat and dragged Kuroko towards the booth table.

"So this is your prince charming, Satsuki-chan," The blond with glasses chuckled with mirth and turning Satsuki red. "Well, anyway, I hope you guys don't mind me tagging along. I've only got here, but I've already had enough of those two idiots dancing around each other."

"Ugh. Seriously." Wakamatsu tapped his fingers impatiently with Imayoshi snickering next to him.

"Well, I have to warn you guys that this is going to be a challenge," Satsuki opened her empty notebook and started sketching a crude drawing of Kagami and Aomine on the first page. "As we know, they're both basketball idiots—well, Dai-chan is a _closet_ basketball idiot, but, point," She then drew a basketball between the two. "The only time they stop bickering is through basketball. So, we have to make sure they keep playing against each other." She scribbled a few arrows in red pointing towards the ball.

Wakamatsu put his hand up.

"Yes, Wakamatsu!" Satsuki pointed at him.

"But how do we get the lazyass to play?"

"Good question. I'll let you explain this one, Tetsu-kun!" She pushed the notebook towards Kuroko.

The shortest of the bunch, surprisingly, started drawing on the next page. It was a slightly better version of his friends. Two headshots in chibi-form using red and blue markers. "The easiest way is by constantly improving Kagami-kun's skill. We will use Alex-san while she's here to keep coaching him," He then drew Alex using an orange marker and connected an arrow from her to Kagami. "Though it would be better if you can keep handling both of them. That way, they can better themselves together and Aomine-kun will be able to see how quickly Kagami-kun is improving."

"That's a good idea... but we still have to make sure that they keep playing together even when I go back." She commented.

"Of course. And that's why we must make sure Kagami-kun gets as much value from his practice as possible," Kuroko paused before drawing a thinking cloud bubble over Kagami's head. "However, there is one problem. Kagami-kun dreams of playing in the NBA while Aomine-kun thinks that there is no point. In fact, I spoke to him a few weeks ago about this and he told me that he won't act on his desire all because Kagami-kun will eventually leave."

"Hm... then wouldn't the problem solve itself if we can convince Aomine to go pro?" Imayoshi pointed at the blunette's portrait. He took the book when Kuroko pushed it towards him. He flicked the page and started his own sketch. "The reason why he doesn't want to go is because he doesn't have fun anymore. I feel like that is slowly changing, especially with Kagami in the team. All we need to do is make sure Kagami's strong enough for Aomine to want to chase."

"Aomine-kun made it clear that he doesn't want to follow Kagami-kun because he is afraid of being left behind."

Satsuki's eyes dropped when she heard that and everyone else seemed to notice the change in her mood. "...Did he really say that to you?" At the nod, she sighed. "Then it's troublesome."

"Is this something we are not meant to know?" Kuroko quietly queried.

"Oh, n-no! It's nothing like that." Satsuki offered a cheerful smile that was clouded with sadness. It didn't fool anyone, but no one questioned her. "Anyway, l-let's just kick this operation, yes? Alex-san, please keep training Kagamin. We'll do our best too to make sure those two play nice with each other."

"Leave it to me." She slapped Satsuki's shoulder reassuringly.

The mood that was down low now was lifted up and everyone had quick dinner together while talking about Winter Cup, especially Rakuzan. They had been doing amazing, but no one really expected any less from them. Everyone on the desk all understood how fearsome Akashi was, so they took some time to explain everything about Generation of Miracles to Alex who looked interested, to say the least.

"Sounds like they're gonna make some pretty interesting players, once they become pro. I mean, a guy who can shoot three-pointers from anywhere in the court? If I didn't see that with my own two eyes, I would never believe it. A lot of teams are going to want that kind of talent. Not only that, but these other five too... and even you, Kuroko!" She opened her eyes wide. "Mm, Taiga's got a lot of competition, huh?"

"Kagami's just as good." Wakamatsu raised defensively.

"He _will_ be just as good," Satsuki corrected with a tsk-tsk before her expression melted into a calmer, more content one. "I can't wait to see that. Imagine all of them playing on the big stage."

"I suppose now we only have to convince Murasakibara-kun and Aomine-kun to join, although it's more of the latter we have to worry about. From what Kagami-kun told me, Himuro-kun has successfully convinced Murasakibara-kun to aim for the NBA."

"Hm, Tatsuya's close to that kid, huh?"

"They're dating." Kuroko said flatly.

"Wait," Wakamatsu blinked. "What!?"

"Oh, you haven't heard? They became official sometime last week. I heard something about posing as a couple to get free samples in a newly-opened dessert bar, but I can't say I'm surprised to hear it. After all, they _are_ quite close."

Kuroko nodded. "They sleep over quite often, and from what I heard, Himuro-kun makes amazing cheesecakes."

"Well, that settles it, then," Satsuki giggled at the simplicity of Murasakibara's thought process. She truly envied that kind of nonchalance. "Ah, look at the time! My parents are expecting me back soon. Tetsu-kun, do you want to walk home together?"

The blunette took a glance at Satsuki who gave him the eyes that only meant she had something to talk about. So, he got to his feet. "Yes. I will see you all later."

Once they all exchanged goodbyes, the Teiko pair exited the cafe and started making their way down the street towards the train station. It was a Monday night which meant there weren't many people out and about. Under the flickering street light, they walked side by side quietly. Satsuki had her hands clasped together in front of her while Kuroko looked straight ahead.

"Is this in regards to Aomine-kun's mother?"

That made the pinkette blink in surprise. While it was no news that she passed, Satsuki knew that it wasn't what Kuroko was referring to. Instead, it was in regards to what effect her death had. "Did he tell you?"

"No, but I drew my own conclusion. It was quite obvious how much Aomine-kun loved her, so her passing must've hit him hard. And considering how negatively he talked about his father, it's safe to assume that their relationship has worsened?"

"Yes... you see, Tetsu-kun, Dai-chan blames his father for everything that happened. It doesn't help that Aomine-san is hardly ever home," She sighed. "To be honest, I don't think Dai-chan truly hates him. I guess he just needs a scapegoat and his father who doesn't seem like he cares for him or his wife, is a perfect blame candidate."

"It's a complex situation."

"Yes. Ah, but back to my original point, Dai-chan... he... well, as you may already know, he's not exactly well right now. He's getting better, but it's not something that can be fixed in a few months." At the solemn nod, she fidgeted her thumbs together. "He just doesn't want to end up like his mother. At least that's what I think."

After all, Yoko was suffering from depression too before she decided to take her own life, all because the man who was supposed to love her, cheated on her. Deep down, Aomine must think that one day, Kagami, too, would turn away from him. So what he was doing right now was protecting his wounded heart.

"...I see," Kuroko lowered his head, knowing full well what was happening in the Aomine household back then. "I understand what you mean now. I suppose it would be insensitive for us to meddle in such a personal affair."

She nodded with a light 'mm'. After a short pause, she heaved a weary breath. "I don't know, Tetsu-kun... is it really okay to leave everything as is?" If she sounded troubled, it was because she was. "I mean, it's clear that they treasure each other and Kagamin can handle Dai-chan well—even better than I would ever be able to. If he can help Dai-chan, then, wouldn't it be good for the both of them? Because... because knowing them, they'll never do anything about it. And if the opportunity slips out of their fingers... I don't think—" She sighed. "I don't think Dai-chan can find anyone else like him."

"I understand your sentiment. This is a precarious situation that requires a long discussion, but in my opinion, nothing good will ever come from pushing and prodding when it comes to Aomine-kun. We _can_ talk to Kagami-kun about and have him speak with Aomine-kun directly. It may end well for them, but if it fails..."

"Dai-chan will close himself off from Kagamin too," She bit her lower lip in dilemma. "Two years and six months. That's all they have and that's all they'll ever have if things keep going like this."

"A bitter pill to swallow, but you are correct. There's not much we can do, unfortunately. Let's try our best to improve Kagami-kun for now and see where that leads us. Perhaps Aomine-kun will change his mind about not going professional."

"I guess that's all we can do for now... Let's keep our fingers crossed." Satsuki replied, her voice fuelled with resignation. She just wanted the best for both her friends, but that was looking like a tall hurdle to overcome.

.

For the past thirty minutes, the bed kept moving and it ticked Aomine off.

"Wll you cut that out!?" He finally snapped and he threw a pillow at Kagami. Immediately, he moved to cover the redhead's face and tried to suffocate him with it. "Seriously, I'll make you pass out if you keep that up!"

"Mmgnnhgn!!" He replied before shoving Aomine away and sulking. His habit of not being able to sleep the day before a match finally decided to show itself again and it wasn't like Kagami was happy about it. After all, the game against Rakuzan was scheduled to be tomorrow and it so happened that it was also the final of Winter Cup. There was a lot riding on it!

"C'mon, you big baby. If you don't sleep, you won't be able to focus tomorrow. Just calm down."

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Kagami curled into himself and turned to face away from Aomine. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, and hopefully, to lull him to sleep. It worked a little, but not enough. With a curse under the breath, he grabbed the blanket and put it over his head. It had been fine for the past few nights, so why now, when they had a big match tomorrow?

Seeing the distress on his friend's body language, Aomine frowned and scratched his head. He couldn't really relate to not being able to sleep because of a match but he knew full well how it felt to wake up feeling like shit. The blunette glanced down at his friend's stiff figure and leaned closer to him.

With a small huff, he ran his fingers through the coarse spiky red hair, immediately coaxing a surprised flinch from the other. But soon, his body relaxed and he let out a content sigh at the comforting sensation.

"What, do you want me to sing you a lullaby?" Aomine grinned.

It was replied with a scoff. "No, thanks. You'll yell _Crawling_ into my ear or something."

That made Aomine smirk mischievously and he put his lips against Kagami's ear. " _Craaawling in my skin..."_

"Fuck off, nerd!" The redhead giggled at the ticklish sensation.

" _These wounds, they will not heaaaal..._ " Both of them laughed at that and Aomine ended up snuggling into Kagami's back while inhaling the other's earthy scent.

"Comfy?" He chuckled in retaliation. It was answered with a muffled hum as Aomine refused to withdraw his nose from Kagami's nape. The ace's fingers were cold and so was his breath, so Kagami was happy to share his body warmth. He had always known he was cold-resistant, but it was kind of entertaining to see that Aomine was the opposite.

"S'damn warm..." The taller one muttered.

"You're such a baby." Kagami commented with only a small, disgruntled growl as a reply. "Are you nervous for tomorrow?"

That made Aomine part his eyelids slightly. "Not really."

Kagami rolled his eyes. "Nothing ever fazes you."

"Like that's a bad thing."

"Fear is a sign that you're human. I guess real idiots don't get scared, huh? What do they call it, ignorance is bliss?"

"And apparently idiots can't keep his mouth shut either when he's supposed to sleep." The other quipped back, making Kagami scoff fondly.

He'd never get enough of this banter, he thought. Silence drew on and Kagami felt himself slowly drifting off. Having Aomine wrapped around his back felt very calming like he was being grounded.

"...Are you sure you don't wanna come with me to the NBA?"

"Just sleep." Replied Aomine quietly.

.

Sakurai had been fidgeting for the past few minutes and it drove everyone insane. Well, it wasn't news to have the apologetic mushroom so nervous, but it never happened before a match. For a timid guy, Sakurai had a lot of pride in his skill just like the rest of Touou. He knew he was good, so he was never worried.

But today, he looked like he had something to say but was too scared to voice it. So, Wakamatsu finally took a deep breath and glared at his teammate. "What do you want!?"

The brunette's shoulders tensed as he yelped in shock and began fumbling while making weird gestures. "I—well, I think—I think that—W-well—" He stammered. "Touou... needs a c-chant?"

"A chant?" Satsuki widened her eyes at the thought of everyone huddling together before a match and cry something out in unison. "Ohh, yeah! What about... 'Play, Touou!'? Or maybe, 'Touou, win!'?"

Aomine snorted. "That's so lame."

"Well, I'd like to hear your idea!" She put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Sounds like a pain..." He poked a finger in his ear and glanced away. However, what no one expected was for Aomine to get off his bench and walked towards everyone with a glint of mirth in his eyes. "But fine, I'll show you guys how it's done. Watch and learn." He put an arm around Kagami's shoulder and another around Wakamatsu's. "Huddle up!"

"Now _this_ is interesting." Imayoshi remarked with a smile as he followed the instruction like the others.

"Make it cool, Ahomine!" Finding himself more fired up already, Kagami grabbed Susa and grinned.

"Always." He smirked, put his head down and took a deep breath.

Just a few months ago, he'd never imagined himself in this position. In fact, he didn't even think he'd still play basketball by now. But the truth was different. Not only was he playing, he was kind of having fun—with Kagami and, surprisingly enough, the rest of Touou. Funny how everything worked. Kagami's arrival in his life created some sort of chain reaction of colourful explosion that he never thought he'd see.

Aomine took a glance at his rival—his _friend_. Their eyes met and Aomine felt the red of Kagami's orbs calming him down. A small nod was given and Aomine's heart steadied.

"Touou..." He looked around at everyone who all smiled at him. "Fight..."

Everyone pulled their arms in, slammed their right foot and screamed out, "O!"

"Then, let's fuck 'em up, team!"

All five members paced towards the court with Aomine leading the charge, walking in a leisurely speed.

Wakamatsu was the first to slap the blunette on the spine as he rushed forward with a grin. "Let's go, ace!"

"Pretty good, ace." Imayoshi followed suit, lightly tapping Aomine's shoulder.

"N-nice, ace!" Sakurai patted his teammate's back once.

"That was fucking _cool_ , ace." Kagami ruffled Aomine's hair.

He watched, blank-faced as his teammates scattered around the court to get ready for the match to come. The spots on his skin that made contact with their hands were warm and it made his heart thump a million beats per second. It was so startling that he had to put his fingers over it.

_Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump._

That was the first time he'd ever felt so... oddly _happy_ to be called an ace. In the past, it was nothing but a position—a pair of shoes he had to fill. He was called an ace because that was what he was—a power forward, the one responsible to bag the most points. The Ace. But this time it felt different.

Once again, he stared at the numbers decorating the Touou jerseys. When they looked back at him, they gave Aomine a smile.

"What's wrong? Come over here already. Can't get the game started without you, dumbass." Kagami let out a toothy grin that was followed with chuckles from everyone else.

"Who're you calling dumbass, dumbass?" Aomine cracked a grin of his own too, then he walked towards the court where his teammates awaited him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter alternate title: look at my baby all grown up
> 
> I finished chp 18... just 2 more and then I might take a short breather *sweats* I've worked too hard through my chilblains and everything hurtsssss


	18. Double Ace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is almost literally only the match against Rakuzan. I hope it wasn't too slow! Next chap is gonna be the v soft filler ;)

It was kinda insane how much Aomine understood Kagami's basketball now. Of course, he wasn't saying that he didn't have a full grasp of the redhead's playstyle before, considering how similarly they played. However, in the span of one week where he did nothing but play against Kagami (all thanks to Alex), it was even easier to synchronise with him.

Aomine badly wanted to run away and hide under his bed sometimes, but something told him that Alex would find him, take him and whip him into shape twice as hard. Seeing the resigned look on Kagami's face as he dutifully followed all of her direction only cemented that hypothesis. And here he thought that Satsuki was bad enough. At least she didn't non-consensually force him to train.

He would argue that he didn't really need that training to beat Akashi. He knew he was capable of going up against his old captain. The problem was the rest of Touou. Would they be able to fend off Rakuzan's other players? Kagami would undoubtedly be able to, but he couldn't speak for the other three.

One thing he'd say, though. He wouldn't make the same mistake as last time. This time, his passes would be nothing less than stellar and Kagami wouldn't fall. Then, they'd get their revenge.

Honestly, Aomine never really cared much for team victory as long as he had fun, but this was different. Winning would mean that all those hours he spent with his streetball friends, Alex and Kagami wasn't for naught and that maybe, this whole passing bullshit was all right, after all. It was bad enough that he didn't get to dribble the ball all the time. To lose because of it would be... well, _annoying_. In short, there was a lot riding on this match.

In the corner of his eyes, he saw the said streetball friends waving excitedly at him. Mizuki watched with indifference, Jacob had Lily and Millie lifted up on his shoulders, and Shuuji and Yuuji had their phones out.

"Daiki nii-chan! Fight, win!" Both young girls yelled out in their squeaky voices, leading to the crowd going 'aww' quietly while Aomine had a huge flush on his face. While that was exceedingly humiliating, he didn't want to cuss at the girls either. Jacob would tear him apart.

"Daiki _nii-chan_?" Kagami snorted as did everyone else which certainly didn't help. From the bench, Satsuki was already trying hard not to cry from laughter.

"Touou, fight-o!" Shuuji and Yuuji cheered excitedly but half mockingly while Mizuki slapped their hands down while muttering a 'you're embarrassing him'. It went ignored, though. "Fight-o, Tsunmine!"

"I'm going to stab all of you."

"Sure, Daiki nii-chan." Wakamatsu cackled loudly.

Rakuzan stood there, equally amused. Akashi had a small smile, but definitely a mocking one as he somehow managed to look down on all the taller members just like during that match in interhigh.

"You sure are taking this lightly, Daiki." Said Akashi calmly without a trace of nerve, befitting of an emperor. His teammates stood tall behind him like they were his soldiers.

"Like hell I am. I'm never more serious to beat anyone before. I'll pay you back for last time, Akashi." The blunette replied after he regained his composure, hands on his hips.

Kagami elbowed Aomine on the side lightly. "You mean, _we_ , right?"

The bright grin made the ace chuckle but he didn't resist. Instead, he nodded. "Yeah, sure. We."

.

Crinkle. Rustle. Crunch.

It was a noise that had been going on non-stop, but one that Himuro was already far too used to. Next to him sat Murasakibara who somehow magically became his boyfriend a while ago. Nothing had changed between them except maybe a few stolen kisses here and there. Oh, and cuddles. A _lot_ of them.

Like right now, for instance. Murasakibara had his head resting on top of Himuro's and crumbs dropping down to the poor boy's jeans but Himuro didn't even react. He only patted Murasakibara on the thigh gently while focusing on the game that started a mere minute ago. When he came to Japan, he would never have thought that his brother would be joining a basketball team, considering the almost non-existent basketball scene here in Japan, let alone improve this much.

Kagami had always been passionate and when playing, he burned brightly. He didn't think the guy could get any brighter. The way he conquered that court was simply breathtaking. Kagami synergised with Touou and even _the_ Aomine that from what Murasakibara told him, was the most arrogant player there was.

He took a short glance at the scoreboard which displayed 13-14 halfway through the first quarter. The point difference never seemed to budge any higher than one or two, but everyone knew that this was just a warm-up session. Things were just going to ramp up from here on out.

Rakuzan put on a dominant performance with Akashi on the forefront. After facing them yesterday and losing, Himuro knew full well what this man was capable of. And that wasn't even scratching the surface, probably. Even Murasakibara looked tenser when facing off against the shorter redhead.

Everyone on the court kept up extremely well with each other. Rakuzan, it was a given, considering the many uncrowned kings and the captain of the Miracles. Touou, though, was a different story. If they pit the players against each other, the three that weren't the aces would probably fall short of their Rakuzan counterparts. Kagami could face off against one just fine and Aomine would be able to stand up tall against Akashi too.

However, since Touou had trained their teamwork, everyone made up for each other's shortcomings. It wasn't a perfect combination by all means, but it was good enough to elevate their overall skill level.

Aomine played his usual ball-hog style for the first few minutes but coming closer to the end of the first quarter, his speed decreased and passes to everyone who wasn't Kagami became more common.

"Mmm, he's gonna be so annoying to go against after this..." Murasakibara sulked like the big baby he was.

Himuro patted his boyfriend's cheek in response. "But you're actually glad that he changed. Deep down."

"Not really..." He drawled on before taking another mouthful of potato chips and focused back on the game. It was strange to see Aomine playing well with everyone else. It was like watching a whole another person. "Are Kaga-chin and Mine-chin dating?"

"I would know if they are. I hang out with Taiga pretty often and he tells me everything." He said as he watched Akashi ankle-breaking Kagami and walking past him in style. It was amusing to see it happening from up there, but extremely frustrating otherwise.

"Hm... Okay." Was Murasakibara's sceptical response.

To Akashi's two-pointer, Sakurai answered back with a three-pointer. His form was beautiful and sleek as the ball sloshed into the ring. Wakamatsu slapped the point guard's back encouragingly and the game continued on. Rakuzan took a time-out and Murasakibara tensed when he saw Akashi screaming at his teammates. Himuro, too, looked puzzled at the sudden unravelling of Rakuzan, but decided to not question it. Squabbles were common among teams, after all.

"So he wasn't like that back then?" Himuro interrupted the silence before going in for Murasakibara's snack bag to take a bar of chocolate. It was met with a frown but no heavy resistance, which was always flattering.

"Mine-chin loved basket too much, he didn't wanna let go of the ball. Then I guess at some point, it changed." Another crunching noise, then a swallow. This time, Touou snatched the lead for themselves thanks to Akashi breaking apart at the seam. Three points—it was the highest score difference since the beginning of the game.

"Well, he was our ace. He had to score, regardless if he wants to or not," A voice came from behind them, making the two turn around only to see Midorima and Takao. The greenhead had a pair of pink-framed sunglasses hanging off his collar. "It wasn't our fault that he fell out of love."

"But maybe it was," _Another_ voice. This time, from somewhere near them and when they turned to the side, Kuroko was there. "It was us who told him to keep playing even though we know how much he didn't want to. Maybe if we had let him go then, things wouldn't have escalated."

"What good would that do? Aomine can't do anything else but basket. Even if we show him the door, he might not leave. He's a headstrong fool who doesn't know when to quit, so he'd most likely keep going despite hating it."

"We didn't give him a chance. All we did was push him and did nothing when he inevitably fell," This time, it was Kise who showed up with Kasamatsu. Looked like all the miracles were present and accounted for. "Aside from Kurokocchi, none of us really cared, so I doubt we'd start caring now."

"Aptly put." Midorima adjusted his glasses even though there was a painful throb in his gut at how bluntly Kise said that. Even Murasakibara scowled at the accusation.

"Maybe telling him that it's okay to leave wouldn't change a thing, but blocking the door the way we did back then just showed how little we cared. And who knows, maybe a little bit of that was what he badly needed back then." He said quietly as he watched the scoreboard ticking up. All of them knew what happened to Aomine's mother halfway through middle school, but that didn't stop them from forcing the ace to keep playing.

"Well," Midorima cleared his throat to interrupt the uncomfortable silence between the small group. "It's no use wallowing in what-if's. What's done is done and it only matters that he's okay now," No. That wasn't the right term for it. He might not be close to the blunette, but he was perceptive enough to know that Aomine was still a long way from being 'okay'. Even now when he was playing with his team, there was still something detached about him. "I mean... at least he's recovering. I suppose."

"No thanks to us." Kise replied with a bitter scoff.

"Let's focus on the game." Seeing how low the mood had stooped, Himuro interrupted. Everyone seemed thankful for the change of topic and they quickly shifted their attention to the court where they could sense that something was amiss.

.

It was quite a precarious situation that Touou found themselves in.

"You have been impressive, but I advise that you admit defeat now, Aomine." The last name didn't miss Aomine's ears. He flinched and looked up to see his old captain, then pursed his lips.

"So only _now_ you decide to come out?" No one else seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. But why would they? Honestly, Aomine feared this Akashi more than the other one.

"Hey, you okay?" Kagami wiped the sweat off his face with his jersey.

"Just watch out."

He didn't understand what that meant at the time, but soon, it changed.

Rakuzan put on a dominating performance as Akashi put on the mantle of leadership and the uncrowned kings outplaying the other members as a result. Their morales were at an all-time high and they played around each other better than they ever had before. It certainly beat Touou's kiddish teamwork. 

Aomine and Kagami were holding on, but they were slipping.

Aomine's intense focus died down and slowly, his passes got intercepted and in turn, his failures agitated him. While it was a good call to stop passing altogether, it made the rest of Touou feel concerned. If Aomine started hogging the ball again, then everyone would surely start marking him and not giving him a chance to move.

Kagami wanted to say something about it, but the game continued on. The point difference slowly but surely climbed up in Rakuzan's favour as Aomine refused to play with his team.

There was something burning inside the ace and no one liked the colour of that flame. They could sympathise with wanting to win, but Aomine was losing sight of his aim and if it continued, it'd send them tumbling down the wrong path.

Kagami was worried. Damn worried. He constantly looked over at Aomine's frustrated expression at the prospect of getting stopped. Under normal circumstances, it would be fine, but not now. Aomine had only discovered a small love in team play, so if it proved ineffective now, he'd just turn back around.

The concern proved to be disastrous. Kagami's fingers slipped. He put too much power in his shot and it rebounded off the backboard, leading to a steal and a point for Rakuzan even though it should've been Touou's.

"Shit, my ba—"

"Get off the fucking court if you can't play. No one should miss that—"

The whistle blew.

"Touou, member change!"

Aomine clicked his tongue as he ripped his eyes away from the surprised Kagami. His insides were burning in anger at the pace this match was going. However, when he looked at Susa, it made his stomach sink.

"Hold on a fucking second!" He stomped towards Satsuki who had her arms crossed. "You're subbing _me_ out!?"

"Cool your head." She stood up and pushed Susa into the court.

"I—"

"Cool. Your. Head." 

"Tch!" Aomine grabbed a towel and sprinted outside of the match area.

Then, the manager turned towards Kagami. "Don't let that bother you, Kagamin. He didn't mean anything he said."

And if Kagami knew Aomine any less, he would've scoffed at that. However, by now, he knew full well that the guy truly didn't mean it, so he nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. Hope he'll come around because it'll be rough without him."

"It's okay. I know he'll come back."

With that, the game resumed. While it was difficult to keep trooping on without their ace, they refused to give up. Susa pulled his weight too and they tried their best to hold the fort until Aomine decided to return. Everyone believed that he would.

Slowly, their score started slipping. The five points lead Rakuzan had stretched to ten, then to fifteen. By the time the third quarter ended, it was eighteen and everyone was out of breath. Their opponents were relentless both in offense and defense. It shouldn't be possible to be that coordinated, but somehow, they were.

Akashi stood in the middle of his team during the short break, a smile on his lips. He gently spoke to his teammates, so different from how he had been.

And here Touou was, crippled without their number 5.

Sure, Kagami put on an amazing display of skill, but even his jumping power wasn't enough anymore. There was something missing—a lost piece of the puzzle that needed to be put in place for them to truly shine. 

"You're very impressive out there, Kagamin," Satsuki tapped their sub-ace's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. "You might think that you haven't done enough, but it's only thanks to you that the score difference hadn't inflated. Let's keep pushing through, okay?"

"Yeah, dude. You're doing real good. Keep it up." Wakamatsu put his fist out for Kagami to tap it. Then, the blond slapped his friend on the back as a gesture of encouragement.

"Pass to me, Kagami! I-I'll score!" Sakurai forced out a nervous grin that made the redhead chuckled.

"Thanks, guys. Let's keep at it until the end. No quitting, got it?"

"Well, well, well, you're all playing nice. I'm surprised." Was a voice that was most welcome.

Susa, Imayoshi, Sakurai, Wakamatsu and Kagami turned to the side to see their ace standing up confidently, frown lines on his forehead, signature smug smirk on his lips and his hips cocking to the side arrogantly.

"Finally back to kick some ass?" Taunted Kagami.

It was replied with a scoff. Taking his hands off his hips, Aomine brushed his bangs back. "Who d'you think you're talking to? I'm always ready to kick some ass."

.

Alex was relieved to see that Aomine hadn't run away or anything. While it didn't seem like anyone else doubted the ace, she definitely did. From what she had seen, Aomine was unmotivated, lazy and always looked for shortcuts when it came to training. She couldn't believe that someone like that could be _that_ good.

However, there was no denying the natural chemistry he shared with her beloved pupil. Seeing the two playing one-on-one was always a sight to behold. Like a wild, fierce bare-handed brawl that never ceased to impress her. And besides, if what Kagami said about them being able to communicate while in the zone was true, then she badly wanted to bring that out of them.

The moment Aomine stepped in the court, she knew he was ready.

But was Kagami?

.

Coming into the last quarter with eighteen points difference wasn't ideal. However, Kuroko was confident that his friends were going to be fine. He quietly watched the game along with the other members of the Miracles.

"Uh-oh." Kise remarked, which echoed everyone's thoughts.

Everyone who wasn't part of the GOMs only blinked in confusion at the dread that suddenly befell the others. However, it didn't take a rocket scientist to know what was going to happen.

The court that was electric suddenly became tense. All members of Rakuzan had a tremendous increase in their individual skill. Gradually, it ramped up until they completely overshadowed Touou, who was doing exceptional in itself.

Sweat dripped down everyone's faces even though they weren't the ones playing.

 _All_ of Rakuzan's members were in the zone. And they toyed with Touou. The point difference that the boys in black and red closed widened once more.

"How is that even _possible_?" Himuro narrowed his eyes, half in awe and half in fear.

"Aka-chin." Said Murasakibara as he peeled himself away from his boyfriend.

"There is a reason why Akashi was our captain. He has this... uncanny ability to unite even the oddest group," Midorima elaborated. "Truly a fearsome leader. And that is exactly why we fear him."

"Well, is there anything they can do? At this point, they're unstoppable." Kasamatsu interrupted.

"That depends on them," Said the boy with baby-blue hair. "Kise-kun, you know this better than anyone."

He nodded as he swallowed thickly. "Double zone." It was a truly lethal combi and that was back when Aomine and Kagami's teamwork was practically nonexistent. Right now, they were a force to be reckoned with, so if they could somehow enter the zone, then they might be able to fight back.

.

It wasn't going good at all. Rakuzan stole point after point—the baskets they worked so hard to get, all disappeared into thin air.

Facing off against these giants was no easy task. He could tell that even Aomine was flustered, let alone all the other Touou members. Kagami had a feeling that if he faltered now, then he'd just drag everyone down with him. More than ever, he had to stubbornly charge forward, consequences be damned.

He had to win. For himself, for his team, for Aomine. He already failed them once during interhigh and god forbid the same thing happening the second time. This time, he wanted to win—he _had_ to. Because if once a chance, twice a coincidence, the third time must be a pattern. And like hell he'd make losing a habit.

Because he might enjoy playing basketball, but that didn't mean he was a good loser. In fact, Kagami was the sorest loser out there, rivalled closely by Aomine.

And right now, Aomine was waiting for him. Waiting for him to lash out—to be angry at his helplessness and to let go. Aomine could so easily flick a switch and open the gate, but he didn't. Instead, he stood there with his hand extended. Aomine was waiting for him so they could open the the door together.

So Kagami reached out for that hand.

_Creak._

There it was.

Closing his eyes only to have his ears blocking out all the loud, interruptive clamouring of the audience instead. Right now, there was nothing that could be heard, save for the low whispers of his teammates, the hard bounce of basketball as it repeatedly made contact with the polished wooden floor and the loud, clear voice of one man.

"Finally gonna play?" He said, tone cocky and full of sass.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw that Aomine was nowhere near him. Instead, he stood on the opposite side of the court, the corner of his lips quirked into a small smirk. His stormy blue eyes glowed brighter than ever, turning into icy cyan as electricity seemed to jolt out of him. This man screamed 'danger', yet Kagami felt himself being beckoned closer towards the panther in the court.

When he looked to the other side of the court, he was met with five pairs of the same aura. However, his legs no longer trembled. At that moment, Kagami's instinct slowly went up, gradually reaching a state of overdrive until his fight or flight response became obsolete. Instead of cowering, Kagami stared at them dead in the eyes.

This match was still winnable. These guys might all be in the zone but Kagami was confident none of them could achieve what he could with Aomine. They might only be two players out of five, but together, they were invincible. Besides, Kagami trusted everyone else. They hadn't been slacking all this time, so if there was anyone who could stand up tall against Rakuzan, it was them.

From there on, the court turned into a battlefield.

Everyone charged forward, guns blazing. It was clear that even though Akashi and his teammates were in the zone, none of them understood what the others were going to do. In a hyper-speed like that, it was clear that they hardly had any coordination. The only reason why they managed to zigzag past the Touou members was simply because they were faster and more unpredictable.

It was different for the two aces from Touou, though. They knew each other's tendencies beyond the surface level after hours upon hours they spent together. They might not have uncovered everything about each other, but they understood enough to discern what each subtle turn and twitch meant when it came to basketball. After all, they played the same basketball that relied on raw instinct.

Tiger and panther converged. They didn't spare a glance at each other, let alone speak. They did their job with quiet precision and a surprising amount of coordination.

Playing with Aomine felt _right_. Like they were just two pieces of puzzle begging to be clicked into place. Right now, their edges might still be jagged and uneven, but with time, perhaps they'd fit together seamlessly.

The same could be said about Aomine. Playing with Kagami brought him an exhilaration that he couldn't otherwise find, In fact, there was something reassuring about knowing that someone had his back. Kagami, the hotheaded and reckless fool who somehow, had yet to give up on him. Kagami might not be a Miracle but he was a miracle in his own right.

The two aces went toe-to-toe with everyone from Rakuzan. The sight captivated the entire stadium full of audiences who stared agape at the vicious dance. Even Jacob's young daughters Lily and Millie were quiet. Their eyes were wide as they clutched on their father's sleeves. "Woah..." could be heard from under their breaths.

"Well, damn." The tall African-American chuckled nervously.

Mizuki's glasses slipped off his nose slightly. "What on _earth_ is happening."

"Zone... Seven-man zone." The twins remarked, just as mesmerised.

"I know that Daiki and Kagami are amazing, but this..." Jacob swallowed. "Is just something else. They're almost rivalling five people all on their own."

"It's not only that either. It's almost like they're _communicating_ with each other. I've heard of people entering the zone, but two people playing so effectively together while being in it is... well, is even more uncommon. That synchronisation is what gives them the leg-up here."

"Rakuzan is scary. Both teams are," Shuuji muttered while his twin brother nodded. "I'm kinda glad I'm not a part of this generation. Can you imagine playing against them?"

"Seeing it from here is impressive, but actually _playing_ them? Yeah, I think I'll piss my pants." Yuuji shuddered at the image.

.

It was a marvel. Everything about it was.

However, no matter how beautiful the sight was, the other three members of Touou refused to be left behind. In the past, they might be content with letting their aces run amok and conquer the battleground themselves, but not now. They wanted to join in as well and be a part of this dance.

All three of them tried their hardest to not lose sight of the ball. They had to get used to the thunderous pace if they wanted any chance of keeping up and potentially support their friends. Because Aomine and Kagami might be indestructible right now, but they weren't scoring fast enough to catch up with the score difference that Rakuzan established during the second and third quarter.

In short, right now, they might be the difference between winning and losing. They came this far already, so like hell they'd take the loss.

"What's the plan, captain?" Wakamatsu asked with heavy pants. The training regiment Satsuki set them certainly helped with their stamina, considering they weren't dead on the floor yet even after all that running.

"This is a tall hurdle..." He said with his Kansai accent. "But I think we're focusing too much on Akashi and Rakuzan. I believe all we have to do right now is follow our aces because keeping up with all of them is not possible. Sakurai, get in position while our opponents are underestimating us. Wakamatsu, you'll stick with me. We'll focus on intercepting the ball."

"Alright, count on me!" He nodded firmly before turning towards Kagami and Aomine who had been dead quiet for the past few minutes. But they didn't need to utter a word when they had their basket speaking loudly for them.

What they didn't know was that the two aces noticed their fighting spirit. Kagami and Aomine exchanged a look for a split second, then they turned around to look at their teammates. With static flying off their eyes, they firmly bobbed their head down once in acknowledgement.

Sakurai, Imayoshi and Wakamatsu echoed the gesture. It was flattering to be heard even when they said nothing, even when they couldn't reach the zone. Their two aces still trusted them.

.

Satsuki watched with her heart pounding loudly in her chest. She clutched her notebook tightly as she silently prayed for the best. He knew how much Aomine had riding on this. Teamwork wasn't something he was used to, so winning now would prove that this whole thing wasn't a waste of time.

She didn't want to lose this Aomine. Slowly, she started seeing her old Dai-chan resurfacing. Nowadays, he played with a smile instead of a frown. He no longer yawned after every single match and he even attended practice. If just a few months ago she wanted nothing more than for Aomine to lose, now she wanted the opposite.

She gripped her book even tighter when she saw Imayoshi and Wakamatsu running after Rakuzan's number 6 who currently had the ball. The noise that she almost let out the moment the Touou captain nudged the ball off course was embarrassing. However, it wasn't like Harasawa was in the mood to notice anything. His eyes were glued to the court too. The distant, disinterested look that he always employed was overtaken by pure excitement.

The ball was quickly snatched away by Wakamatsu who spent no time to throw it to Aomine. The object spent merely a split second in the air before it was snatched away by a blur of blue, then a blur of red. By the next second, neither of them had it anymore. Instead, Sakurai grabbed it, jumped and he threw it towards the ring.

They scored.

"Yay, nice Sakurai!" Satsuki leapt off her seat with her fists up in the air, not caring about who saw her.

It was even better to know that it wasn't a fluke. Imayoshi and Wakamatsu successfully stole another ball that led to Touou's points. After the third time it happened, everyone focused on the remaining members of Touou, in turn giving Aomine and Kagami more space to move.

While the passes that weren't to each other were scarce, they weren't non-existent. When the time was right, Aomine or Kagami would throw the ball to their teammates. It wasn't just for the sake of passing either. It happened because they were in position, ready for the ball and because they pulled their weight.

All the training they put was worth it. Whereas everyone else started to fade, the Touou aces kept on fighting. One by one, Rakuzan players phased in and out of the zone because their bodies couldn't keep up. And slowly, the boys began to catch up.

The point difference thinned out as Kagami and Aomine zapped through the court. Time ticked down. There was hardly anything left to spare. Right now, it was all or nothing.

Akashi, still in the zone, stood between the two aces, his eyes shining an intimidating purple as he put on his last stand. This was a battle between three wild animals where none wanted to back out.

Aomine lobbed the ball above the ring, right past Akashi's head. With everyone else exhausted and being marked by other Touou members, there was no one else to stop Kagami from jumping and grabbing the ball. He was too far away from the ring, so he landed, pivoted around Akashi and threw it back at the open Aomine.

_You lose, Akashi._

Aomine lunged past his frazzled former-captain whose balance betrayed him. With one flick of the hand, Aomine tossed the ball from behind him, not even bothering to see if Kagami was there or not. Akashi gasped as he turned his face around to see a blur of red filled with bloodthirst that startled him, making him slip. His fall seemed to be in slow motion. He watched Kagami silently catching the straight, quick pass, jumped and slammed it in the ring just in time for the buzzer to ring.

It wasn't easy and it definitely wasn't pretty, but they crossed the finish line.

"Fuck yeah!" Aomine pumped his fist, and his victory cry was echoed by his teammates and the audience.

"It's over..." Static died down from Kagami's eyes and the first thing he noticed was Aomine pacing towards him with a bright grin.

Done and done. Kagami could hardly believe what happened. The last few minutes felt like such a blur, but he felt the exhilaration of playing in harmony with Aomine.

The redhead cracked a grin as his friend put his strong arms around him and lifted him up.

The sudden boost in height made Kagami laugh. He put a hand on Aomine's shoulder and lifted the other. Along with the wild cheering of the entire stadium, he yelled a loud, unabashed, "Yeah!" 

They did it. They won.

.

The award ceremony took even longer than the match. All members of Touou ran high on adrenaline for the first few minutes but after that, they all looked ready to sleep. Everyone let Imayoshi do all the job while they forced themselves to keep standing up on their wobbly legs. Everyone tried hard to not ignore the barrage of congratulations shot their way by their impressed school friends.

"That was an excellent match, Aomine. Kagami." Akashi came to them at the end of it. He was clearly exhausted but managed to not let it show. A true leader who showed no weaknesses indeed.

"Oh, uh... yeah," Kagami was far too out of it to reply like a normal human being. "You too."

Aomine yawned loudly but definitely not from boredom. "Yeah, good game. Been a while since I had that kinda workout."

The sincere smile he displayed soothed Kagami a little. This didn't look like the same Akashi they faced during interhigh and he felt a bit more comfortable with this one. "Well, let's do that again next time."

"Sure," The ace chuckled before flinging an arm around Kagami. "Let's go back. I'm tired as hell and I want teriyaki burgers."

"Huh?! No way. Let's go to Maji instead!" The two walked off, unaware of the amused look shot by Akashi and the rest of the Miracles who were nearby.

"C'mon, we deserve the celebration. Make it like last time with shredded beef instead of mince patty."

"That was _slow-cooked_! Do you know how long it takes to make that? Anyway, Satsuki said we're going to Korean BBQ, so I don't even know why we're arguing about this." Together, they bantered and bickered all the way towards the bus bay where their team awaited.

They didn't make it very far, however. Halfway there, they stopped. Aomine snapped his mouth shut and dropped his arm from around Kagami only to narrow his eyes at the man standing in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" His tone was sharp and accusatory like he thought for sure there was an ulterior motive.

"To watch your match." His father said calmly.

Apparently not expecting that, Aomine turned towards Kagami in disbelief but he quickly faced his parent once more. "You never came to any. Why the fuck are you here now?"

He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. For never coming to your matches, I mean. And..." He paused. "...for everything else."

"Fuck off! Lip service, that's what you're doing right now. You probably only came five minutes before it finished just so you can get a brownie point. Well, guess what? I'm not buying it. So just go back to your bimbo girlfriend who's probably waiting for you at home right now. I don't want to see your face, you murder—"

He pursed his lips when he felt Kagami's hand squeezing his. In an instant, all anger seeped out of him and he looked away.

"Let's go, Kagami." Looking at anywhere but his father, Aomine pulled Kagami and walked past the elder.

"I'm proud of you, son."

It was a short sentence delivered in a wavering tone that made Aomine stop momentarily. Kagami could see how close to tears his friend was, but ultimately, he inhaled sharply and paced towards the bus bay.

Once more, Kagami squeezed that quivering hand and gave him a firm nod.

Aomine didn't say anything, not even look at him. But his hand did stop trembling.


	19. Time Heals All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to Laz for the part with Midorima lmao
> 
> Next chap will be the end of AoKaga's high school story. I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far and that I'm not being boring! Stay tuned for the next part~

The news that Touou won the Winter Cup spread like wildfire. While it took almost nobody by surprise, everyone was hyped to know that their basketball team was _that_ strong. Whispers echoed in the hallway as girls and boys alike exchanged their excitement. The ones who were there to watch the game yesterday were still giddy, and some even expressed their desire to join the team.

Now, every single starter of Touou got their fair share of giggles when they walked by, but today, it was multiplied by a hundred. Wakamatsu was red-faced as eager girls oggled him down, Imayoshi looked very pleased with himself and Sakurai tried to spend his lunch hiding inside his locker. Aomine? He was too busy sleeping on his desk and the same could be said with Kagami.

Yep, sex after being in the zone was never a good idea, as they learned last time. That didn't stop them from repeating it a second time, though. Well... in his defense, Aomine needed comfort yesterday. So, he gave it the best way he knew how—by fucking. Apparently. At least the guy looked more chipper now even though he claimed that his hips were about to fall off.

"Kagami-kun!" A girl bounced towards him and fluffed his hair, making him groan. He angled his head up slightly to take a look at her. "Will you participate in our culture festival? I know you've been busy with basketball practice, but," She clapped her hands in front of her and bowed. "Please! We need your help! And Aomine-kun's too, of course!"

The redhead glanced at his sleeping friend then back at his classmate. He didn't really have the heart to refuse when suddenly, three pairs of pleading eyes were shot his way. "F-fine..."

"Really!? Oh, yay!" They all leapt in excitement and grabbed his hands. "The theme is maid and butler cafe, and we badly need a savoury cook and a pastry one."

"I... can't really bake, though." He scratched his head, kind of glad that he didn't have to be the butler. He'd totally suck at that job.

"That's fine! That's why we wanted Aomine-kun to join as well." They giggled.

"Oh, that's nice," Then what the girls said clicked and he frowned. "Wait. That asshole can bake?"

They exchanged a glance before turning back at Kagami. "You didn't know? Back in May, Aomine-kun made these really cute cupcakes for Momoi-chan's birthday. And during home ec at the beginning of the year, he magically baked this really crazy red velvet cake that looked so gorgeous and tasted..." She sighed dreamily along with the other two girls. "Sooo... good... No one would believe that he made it if we didn't watch how adept he was. Even Ichiko-sensei was so impressed!"

Kagami sat there with a dumbfounded look on his face. Once again, he glanced at the blissfully unconscious dickhead, mouth agape. No way. What!? Sure, Aomine _did_ tell him a few days ago that he could cook, but Kagami didn't think it was the truth! Well, there was only one way to witness this strange revelation.

"Okay," He said, still in disbelief. "Sign him up too."

Maybe that was impulsive, stupid and Kagami deserved the silent treatment, but it would be worth it. Currently, Aomine was sitting in the other corner of the sofa, knees up to his chest and arms crossed on top of the caps. He was sulking like the big baby he was and Kagami felt a little guilty. Just a little.

"Come on," He sighed, putting the bowl of popcorn that was sitting next to him to his lap. "How long are you gonna pout for? It's not the end of the world. All you have to do is bake. You don't even have to buy the ingredients."

"Yeah, but it's in _two_ days! I have to come up with a dish and do prep work. Not to mention, the weekend? Are you crazy? I'd rather sleep."

"Damn. You're not denying being able to bake. Is this real life?" He pinched his arm to emphasise his point. It was rewarded with a bitter scoff from Aomine who stuck out his bottom lip even further forward. "Hey, I said I was sorry!" He really wasn't. "Besides, it's not like you're the only one cooking."

"It's a hassle. I don't like baking for people I don't know." He muttered.

"Then I dunno, pretend you're baking a hundred sweets for me. Or something. I dunno," When Aomine didn't say anything, Kagami's blush deepened. "S-say something, dammit! You're making it awkward!"

"What, _you're_ the one who started it! Don't point your fingers at _me_." Answered Aomine, equally embarrassed.

"W-well, anyway, you're cooking and that's the end of story. I've already promised them that we'll help out."

"Speak for yourself. I didn't promise shit!"

"Aomine..." Kagami's eyebrows dropped and his expression faltered like a kicked puppy. The guy was doing it unconsciously which made it so much worse. "Come on... they were begging for our help. And besides, I wanna eat your food."

"Ugh! F-fine, fine! I'll do it. But you owe me, got it?" With a huff, he jumped off the sofa to grab the pen and paper conveniently placed on the coffee table. "How many types?" He asked with a scowl.

"Three. I'll make three mains and three appetisers to go with it." He joined his friend on the floor and watched as the blunette scribbled out a dish name in one page, then two more in the next two.

"I dunno what goes well with what dish, so you decide yourself." On big bold, chicken scratch of letters, they read: Molten lava brownie with vanilla ice cream and wild berries, Cherry cheesecake, and Ice-cream filled mochi that got Kagami salivating already. He preferred to eat savoury over sweets, but those items sounded amazing.

He watched Aomine concentrating on listing out some ingredients on the bottom. This guy really knew what he was doing. Seeing the degree of concentration, Kagami decided to grab another pen and started writing some dishes out on his own.

The blunette took one glance at the paper and his eyes sparkled. "You're making teriyaki burger!?"

"Yeah, since thanks to _someone_ , I've gotten pretty damn good at it." He rolled his eyes before writing out his next idea which was classic pork cutlet curry and omurice. No maid cafe could function without those.

"Oh, do karaage! The one with seaweed salt and that crazy good mayonnaise." Aomine put his hands excitedly on Kagami's shoulder.

"With a side of pickled onions," He ruffled his friend's hair and he could've sworn the guy almost purred. "I'll do some pork gyoza too, maybe some with mushroom as well."

"Takoyaki!" Aomine suggested.

"Hm... karaage and gyoza are pretty greasy. I think we can do with something lighter for variation," He tapped the pen against his chin before a metaphorical light bulb lit up. "What about chawanmushi with shiitake mushroom and edamame?"

"No meat, not interested."

"I'm not cooking for you." He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I'll send this off to Miharu for confirmation. Let's start writing out how much of what ingredient we'll need. We probably need to stay back tomorrow and Friday to get everything ready for the festival in the weekend," When he hard Aomine whining, he sighed. "C'mon, look at the bright side. At least we're not waiting, considering they've got butlers and maids already."

Little did Kagami know that he just jinxed the both of them.

.

Well, well, well. Everything be damned.

Kagami watched in awe as Aomine effortlessly prepped seven huge bowls of ice cream mixtures with seven different flavours. He let them churn and moved on to his homemade mochi that had just finished pounding in the stand mixer. The blunette coated it with cornstarch, pinched a small, bite-sized portion and quickly he twirled his fingers in a trained motion to produce one perfect ball that he set aside. He repeated it a _lot_ of times until he had a big pile resting on the trays.

It was really impressive. Kagami stared in awe as he closed the slow cooker filled with rump steak and teriyaki glaze, all while Aomine got started on the brownies. He could tell that he wasn't the only one bewitched by his methodical movements. The boy didn't even realise he was being stared at.

"Where'd you learn how to do that?" The redhead finally started.

There was a small flinch on Aomine's shoulder before he put down the whisk and rubbed the back of his neck. "...I used to bake with my mum."

Oh.

"I loved her sweets, so I always helped her out. I guess, in a way..." He bit his lower lip and turned away. "This is the only connection I have left with her."

Both of them resumed with their tasks, glad that they were far away from the girls who volunteered to help them. Currently, everyone was reading through the recipe stuck on the wall.

"I would love to eat her sweets." Kagami said quietly yet sincerely.

"Heh. There's nothing she loved more than people gobbling down the things she made." There was a fond smile on Aomine's lips as put some cocoa into the mixture.

Silence stretched between them, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one. They learned to bask in that rare moment. In fact, the lack of words spoke louder than their voices ever could. It showed how much they found comfort in each other's presence even if they had nothing to talk about. Honestly, neither men would ever imagine this happening, considering their messy initial impression. Right now, even if they dropped the sex bit, they'd still be friends.

"Kagami," Aomine's voice that was filled with vulnerability grabbed the redhead's attention. "Am I being childish, running away from him?"

"No! You have all the rights to be angry. What he did was fucking low. I have no respect for people who can't commit when they should and if I'm in your shoes, I'd react the same way too."

Aomine's frown line became more prominent at that. "...Satsuki's been trying to get us to make up," A pause. "But I don't know if I'm ready for that."

"You don't have to be ready now but I don't think you should run away forever."

There was a small nod as they continued working. After a few minutes, Aomine finally spoke up. "I think I'll go back after the festival."

"Okay," He regarded. "If anything happens, you can always come back to my place."

"Yeah. Thanks." Answered Aomine just in time for the girls to come rushing towards them with a million questions about the recipe.

.

The prep work took a few hours on Thursday and Friday. When Saturday came around, everything was ready and the pair placed everything in the right spot so it would be easier to plate up later. They taught the ones in charge of the small kitchen what to do just so they could go off and enjoy the festival. The hard work was done! Good thing they didn't have to do any butlering.

By now, they should've known better than to speak too quickly.

Turned out the two students meant to be butlers suddenly fell ill and now, three girls stood in front of Kagami and Aomine with their hands put together in a plea.

"Please help us!"

"I hate you. You just gotta go and jinx us." Aomine said to Kagami sharply.

"H-hey, how was I supposed to know!? You were sulking like a cat not getting enough attention, so I had to say something. Anyway, does it have to be us? Just get other boys to do it. They probably can handle people better than us..."

"No, it _has_ to be you two. I mean, after your cool victory in the winter cup, the boys in basketball club are really gaining popularity, you know?"

"Okay, so we're girl baits." Aomine cut curtly.

"Well... not really..." She glanced at her friends. "Okay. Maybe a little." She stiffened at Aomine and Kagami's combined stares. "Yes."

The pair sighed.

"Please, please, please! There's no one else better for the job than you two. You'll do so well, please!"

And that was how they found themselves standing in front of their classroom with black suits and black tie with cloth pants and dress shoes, passing flyers to anyone who walked by. They managed to get so many girls piled up inside the cafe after the first thirty minutes, they stopped whatever they were doing to help out instead.

"Aho, your tie is crooked." Kagami approached his friend, undid the sloppily done fabric and smoothed it before putting it back around Aomine's neck. His eyes were focused on the tie, and not at the girls who were staring at these two hot basketball aces standing so close together. Aomine had a hungry look in his eyes while Kagami was blissfully unaware. "There you go, all fixed up now." He gave Aomine a grin, their noses a mere centimetre away.

"Heh. You gonna give me a kiss to go with it or what, _honey_?"

...

Caw... caw... caw...

"H-Hey, say something, stupid!" Aomine's face exploded into a shameful shade of red.

"W-wh-what am I supposed to say!?" He was so close to doing just that, but thankfully he realised they were still in public before he captured those lips he wanted to claim so badly.

And that was just one of the many things that happened during the day that got the girls spreading the news. The headline of 'two hot boys obliviously flirting' made its round around the school, attracting a gazillion of women who rushed to see what it was all about.

Kagami and Aomine didn't disappoint. Starting from the redhead gobbling down some of Aomine's sweets and having some chocolate leftover on the corner of his lips—a mark that Aomine swiped with his thumb and licked while muttering, "Sweet.", to them idly playing with each other's hair or even them just bantering like cat and dog. It was fanservice galore that didn't miss everyone's ears.

And so, the Miracles gathered in the room. Satsuki, Murasakibara, Himuro, Akashi, Kise, Midorima and Kuroko sat around a table while they watched their mutual friends giving each other such loving looks.

"Wow," Himuro laughed when Aomine slapped Kagami's butt. "They're _really_ not going out?"

"Nope." Kuroko slurped on a vanilla milkshake no one knew the origin of. Soon enough, a waitress walked to the table bearing the ice-cream filled mochi.

"Oh! This is so pretty! As expected of Dai-chan." Satsuki quickly snapped a photo and hummed before a realisation dawned on her. "Did he base these on us?" She looked at the green, purple, light pink, red, baby blue coloured mochi surrounding a bigger sakura mochi wrapped in a leaf.

Kuroko had a smile as he grabbed the one in his colour. "Vanilla."

Midorima coughed a little at his. "Wasabi and cream? A strange combination but it strangely works..."

"Ooh! Banana and a little bit of peanut butter. Mm, a crunch of nut chunks too." Kise jumped up and down on his seat. "It's so good!"

"Mm..." Murasakibara closed his eyes as he let the flavour of sweet, creamy taro linger on his tongue.

"Cherry?" Himuro picked up the one meant to represent Kagami. "A hint of chilli."

Akashi hummed in approval at the one that was his. "Rhubarb and sour strawberry jellies. Excellent. I had almost forgotten what a fantastic dessert specialist Aomine is."

"Aahh, Dai-chan's the best..." Satsuki quickly finished up the sakura mochi filled with red bean ice cream. The consistency and chewiness were just right and it left her wanting more.

"How long has it been since we have sat and talked like this?" The former captain commented while the other desserts reached their table.

"Too long! I missed you guys! When we decided on splitting up, I didn't think it meant we'd stop hanging out too." Kise pouted.

"I suppose we all got a bit distracted with settling in. Well, regardless, I'm happy that we're finally here." Kuroko smiled in response and the colourful group bantered for a few minutes until their friends walk over to them to say hi.

"Aominecchi, Kagamicchi! Where's the maid magic on my omurice?"

"Go fuck yourself." Aomine cursed.

"That's no way to treat a paying customer." Midorima shook his head at the crass manner and that judgemental look was only amplified by the combined stares of all guests who waited in anticipation.

"Yeah, that's all you." Kagami nodded.

"No, Kagamicchi, you do it too! I want my omurice to be extra delicious and filled with love." The blond obviously got a kick out of bullying the two aces, considering the satisfied grin on his face.

"Aomine-kun. Kagami-kun."

The deadly stare from Kuroko's soulless eyes sent shivers down their spines and they straightened up. "F-fine, just this once okay?" And that was not because they were scared of Kuroko or anything like that.

"Ugh..." Kagami grabbed the bottle of ketchup from the table and started drawing a basketball over the golden surface of the egg that made everyone snort. "Y-you start, idiot."

"Fine, let's get this over with! Ugh," Aomine took a deep breath and formed a heart with his hands while Kagami followed suit. Both of them wanted to die as they uttered the very shameful, "Moe... moe... beam..." and pointed the hearts at the omelette.

When they looked up, all six guests had their phones out to record the blackmail-worthy sight. Needless to say, the classroom became even livelier after that.

.

Break time couldn't come sooner. Together, Kagami and Aomine ripped themselves away from the cursed classroom and started making rounds to eat all the food being vended in different stalls outside. By the time they went back indoor, they had an armful of savoury and dried snacks, skewers inside their mouths.

The first place they visited was Sakurai's class that was doing some sort of fortune-telling. Midorima looked like he was having an existential crisis outside with the way he muttered, 'that's contradictory... no, that can't be happening... Oha-asa didn't say that this morning!' while Takao tried hard to drag his friend away from the class before he started destroying anything.

Of course, Sakurai wasn't the one doing the fortune-telling, but both aces decided to jump in anyway. Kagami was excited to get a reading about his future career, but he left being confused and pensive at the "The door to your dream will open but it will close if you are not careful. Do not trust those who you think can be trusted, and take the hand of the one you think you cannot trust" offered to him.

Aomine wasn't really interested in his career, so he opted to get one of his love life because why not? He didn't really understand what the fortune teller meant by "Patience and perseverance will heal a broken heart. Help the way you would like to be helped and be a sanctuary to the person who needs it the most". It was confusing as hell and he chose to forget it.

Their next destination was Imayoshi's class that was doing a haunted house. That was the day Aomine discovered that Kagami was one big scaredy-cat. The redhead didn't want to go anywhere near it, but after some taunts and challenges from Aomine, he sucked it up and went in. Aomine almost felt bad for doing that because at some point inside, Kagami crouched in the corner and started crying. Like, seriously crying. He sobbed wildly and kept his head inside Aomine's shoulder as they made their way out. Even the ghost actors felt awful because they stopped spooking the pair. Once they came outside, Kagami punched Aomine and refused to talk to him for thirty minutes.

It was cute, so Aomine accepted the fist with grace.

Next up was Wakamatsu's. It was a trivia booth and they saw Himuro and Murasakibara watching Akashi destroying everyone. The Rakuzan captain was just so good at everything, Aomine and Kagami decided not to join because their common knowledge wasn't really the best anyway.

Their next destination was Susa's class that was hosting some sort of tabletop and boardgame thing. The two aces sat on the desk playing a D&D oneshot that the vice-captain was DMing. It was a good fun and it was funny seeing Aomine rolling extremely low for most of his checks. He didn't die, thankfully, but he scared the other two players with his rage. Funny because he played a barbarian class.

Last stop was Satsuki's There was some sort of escape room going on in there and they saw Kuroko waiting on the line with Kise. Apparently there was a long booking list and they just happened to get one. So, they invited Aomine and Kagami along.

"I do not expect much from you two, but please do your best," Said Kuroko flatly while ignoring the barrage of protest. "Kise-kun, let's not pay those two any mind."

"Mmhm! Aominecchi and Kagamicchi aren't very bright, after all."

"Say that to my fucking face, asshole!" Aomine raised his voice and with him, Kagami. It took them Satsuki walking out of the classroom to settle.

As it turned out, the two were useless, just as expected. They spent five minutes arguing over a map just to find out that they had been reading it upside down. Then there was that time they dropped the key into a gutter and had to call the game master to fetch it for them. Both Kuroko and Kise tried hard to ignore the two bumbling idiots, but it proved to be difficult when they kept yelling at each other like an old married couple.

"Why are you two here anyway? Don't you have your own school festival?" Kagami raised his eyebrows as Kise entered four-digit combination into a padlock.

"Eeeh, don't you wanna see us?" He whined.

"Not really." Replied Aomine while poking a finger in his ear.

"Aominecchi is so mean! Kurokocchi, say something. My heart's in pieces."

"I see."

"Waah!" The blond dramatically wailed at that, just in time for his friend to unlock and push the door open. They escaped five minutes before the thirty minutes time limit.

"Tetsu-kun, you're way too cool!" Satsuki immediately jumped the poor boy, making her the second person to dangle off his small body. In the booth next door, Himuro, Akashi and Murasakibara just completed their run too with minutes to spare. They made their way down the hallway to check out the other attractions, then stopped by some food stall selling some interesting-looking tuna and anchovy dumpling.

At some point, Aomine excused himself to the toilet while Kagami hung around with the Miracles and Himuro. The group of junior high friends looked like they were in high spirits, judging by the way they excitedly spoke to each other. Even Kuroko was smiling generously. Strange how just a few weeks ago, these bunch seemed like they had nothing to do with each other. Now, they were suddenly best friends.

"So, you're actually going out with Murasakibara."

"Yep," He chuckled. "Trust me, I'm surprised too."

"Who... asked who out?"

"He did. Well, if you can call that asking out anyway. He came up to me one day with this big pout and said, I quote, 'Muro-chin, there's another promotion for couples down the street. Can we go out already so we can have it?'."

That made Kagami snort. "That's so lame. But hey, if it makes you happy, then whatever, right?"

"I'm happy," The dark-haired male put a hand over Murasakibara's that was placed on the bench. "And I think you deserve to be as well."

Kagami almost defensively said, 'I don't know what you're talking about', but this was _Himuro._ The guy was perceptive as all hell and he'd call Kagami on his bullshit immediately. "Trust me, I wanted to go for it as well, but..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I think he's not ready for it. And now, I don't know if I'm ready as well. I feel like things are a bit too... explosive right now. Besides, I don't know if he even likes me back."

"Well, you'd know best, I suppose." Himuro leaned back to look at the sky.

"Where is he anyway? It's been fifteen minutes," Scrunching his food wrapper and tossing it into the bin, Kagami stood up. "I'm gonna go look for him. I think it's almost time to take a peek at the cafe again to make sure it hasn't burned down yet."

The redhead waved goodbye at everyone, saying that he'd see them later. Then, he walked towards the nearest toilet while stretching his stiff limbs. Still outside the school, he was about to walk around the corner when he heard a familiar voice.

"So damn cute..."

_Eh?_

That voice was clearly Aomine's. Busting out all his ninja move, he pressed himself against the wall and took a peek at the blunette who was standing behind a large tree, moderately obscured.

"I wanna keep you all to myself, you lil' princess. Here, do you want to have some more?" Kagami wasn't sure what that guy was doing, but he heard the crinkle of paper bag used for the tuna dumpling. "Haha, you like it? Fuck. You're adorable." The voice employed by Aomine was so sugary sweet, there was a pang of jealousy inside Kagami.

_Is he talking to someone?_

Taking a deep breath, he stuffed his hands in his pocket and casually strolled towards his friend. _No, no. This isn't happening._ Despite his calm expression, he was actually pretty terrified. Because what if Aomine suddenly found—

"Meow."

"Meow?" Kagami widened his eyes.

"Geh!" Aomine's reaction was immediate. He turned towards Kagami with a Toyger cat nestling on his right arm. It had a red collar which meant it wasn't a stray. "W-what are you doing here? Go away!"

"...You were talking to a cat."

"Y-yeah, so!? You got a problem with that!? S-she was all alone and shit! Meowing all over the place..."

"You shouldn't feed random animals weird food you bought off a stall, you know. What if she's allergic to tuna?"

There was a look of horror in Aomine's eyes as he looked back at the cat who was snuggling into his arm and climbing on him to sit on his shoulder. "Y-you're okay, right, princess? Right?"

The sight of Aomine panicking and getting flustered over a cat made Kagami burst out laughing. "You're," He wheezed. "You're pretty cute, you know that?"

"Get off my fucking ass!" With a growl, he ran off with his 'lil' princess' to god knew where.

"Ahh, crap..." Kagami took a deep breath and leaned against a wall, then slowly sunk down to the ground. His face was just as red as Aomine's at that moment. "This is so unfair." He was aware he was playing a losing battle. There was no way he could un-like that asshole who was a big softie deep down. In fact, Aomine was probably the biggest softie he had ever known.

Kagami silently wondered if he should just confess and put himself out of his misery.

.

"Woah, Kagamicchi and Aominecchi are trending on Twitter!" Kise waved his phone around and ran before Aomine could snatch it.

"Not only Twitter, it seems," Akashi had a pleased smile on his face as he nodded and sent a YouTube link to the newly-created group chat involving the Miracles, Kagami and Himuro. It was a short compilation of the two aces interacting like lovers in their butler outfits. "Well, you two are quite popular. Perhaps you might consider opening your own restaurant?"

"Ugh..." They buried their faces in their hands. Someone must've told everyone that they were the cooks too. They had a feeling that this would haunt them for a long time.

"It's all your fault. If only you never agreed to it!" Aomine shoved his friend away, making him almost lose balance.

"How would I know it'd end like this? They only asked us to cook, not wait!"

The blame game lasted the whole way to the train station. Everyone parted ways and the aces sulked quietly in the crowded carriage. Once they were out in the open again, they started cursing each other once more.

"What happened to the cat anyway?" Sometime during the heavy screaming, the topic shifted.

"Went back to her owner." Aomine put his bottom lip out.

"If you like 'em so much, then you should get one."

"I dunno how to take care of one... I might accidentally hurt it or something."

"Then find a guide online. There's lots of that. Here." They ended up discussing the said animal all the way back home. It was quite a productive discussion that got Aomine thinking. It'd be really nice to own a cat. In the past, he couldn't get one because his mother was allergic, but...

The thought of her made him remember his dad. Kagami must've noticed the change in the mood because the moment he closed the door, he put a hand on Aomine's back.

"You wanna go home?"

The bluehead nodded quietly.

"Okay, I'll help pack your bag." The two then took a quick shower before grabbing Aomine's dry clothes off the laundry. Neatly, Kagami folded them and put them back in the duffel bag before passing it to his friend. "Got everything?"

He nodded again, glad for the lack of question. Kagami might be an idiot but he was actually pretty sensitive when it mattered the most. Right now, he just wanted to be alone with his thoughts.

"Want me to take you there?"

He shook his head.

"'Kay," The redhead scratched his head. "See you on Monday."

Aomine left wordlessly. His head was still all over the place in uncertainty. Was going back a good idea? The whole way there, he felt nauseous. His stomach churned and he had to bite his lower lip because he felt bile rising up. He was overtaken with anger, confusion, nerve and a wave of grief that never seemed to let go.

The ride there couldn't have lasted any quicker. With his heart hammering, he stood in front of the door to his house, clenched fists shaking with repressed anger. There was still time to turn around. If he entered, then he might explode without being prompted because that was how much he didn't want to see his father.

He wasn't sure how long he spent standing there wordlessly, but when he came about, the moon was already up and he was nowhere near calm. Rage still bubbled in him and he very much still wanted to punch the nearest hard surface.

_Click._

The door opened and Aomine flinched. He wasn't ready for this. No, no no. He wasn't ready. He wasn't ready—

He felt like he was hyperventilating. World seemed to stop when he came face-to-face with the man he didn't want to see but _need_ to see. The two stared at each other for what felt like hours even though it was only seconds.

Aomine was practically vibrating with the need to yell, punch, run, anything.

"D-Daiki?" The elder choked on his word. There was vulnerability in his eyes—hope. 

That was enough for him to take a deep breath and shut his eyes tightly. If he didn't see him, then he wouldn't feel so angry. With a thick swallow, he pushed past his father while mumbling an, "I'm home." That definitely would've been missed had it not been so quiet.

Things might not be okay yet. The emotional scar that this man inflicted upon him was still gaping, festering. It was a feeling he didn't want to experience for much longer due to how debilitating it is. If running away from it only made it worse, maybe he should stop and face it head-on, no matter how much it threatened to rip him apart from the inside.

"Welcome home," His dad whispered with a small, relieved smile as he closed the door. "There's some fried rice in the fridge if you're hungry."

Aomine threw his bag onto the couch and headed for the fridge.

He wasn't sure if he was making the right choice, but he was taking a step towards something. If this was a mistake, then at least he could say that he tried. After all, running away was never his modus operandi.

It was time to move on.


	20. Our Song and Dance

No one could really pinpoint the exact time when things started going in fast-forward. For the boys who lived it, everything happened in a blink of an eye, not the long three years full of gruelling exam and dramas like they expected. Instead, they could only watch as their lives passed them by. Sure, it was not without its fair share of raised voices and windy road, but it was like every hurdle they overcame only made them closer.

Susa and Imayoshi were the first to graduate. Sakurai cried like a little kid into their arms, saying how different Touou would be without them. Wakamatsu tried to play it cool, but by the end of it, he was in tears too. Especially when Imayoshi told him that he would be the next captain. Kagami tried hard to console his friend but to no avail. Wakamatsu was an emotional wreck. 

Even though Kagami tried to not be all shaky, he ended up choking over his words too. Over the months, he had grown to really like the captain and vice, so to see them go was quite saddening. The team just wouldn't be the same without them and their guidance—be it off-court or on-court. Imayoshi was like their personal Satsuki when the manager couldn't give them tips due to her sitting on the bench. So many times already, the captain had bailed them out of trouble. And Susa, while he didn't see much playtime in the past few matches, he was always the cornerstone that kept everyone grounded. He didn't have to say anything. He just had to stay there and everyone would feel calmer.

And Aomine, he might not show any emotion aside from aloofness, but Kagami could tell that their seniors' departure affected him too. 

So, yeah. They were damn irreplaceable. Such display of vulnerability made Satsuki smile. Touou truly had changed and she couldn't wait to see what was in store for these boys.

Wakamatsu settled into the role of a captain quite easily. He was brash and loud, but the juniors loved him. To replace Imayoshi and Susa was a first year, Ken and second year Shinji. Both of them were quite good and were picked by Aomine himself after he was forced by Satsuki to watch the games to determine which members to allocate resources to. When the two juniors were told that _the_ Aomine was the one who named them, they looked so starstruck like they were about to cry.

Aomine carried on his usual no-show sometimes, but he'd attend practice more and more often. Over the course of the second year, he even started spending time in the gym instead of rooftop even when he didn't really want to play. He'd take a nap there like the sound of basketball being dribbled was his version of a lullaby. However, when interhigh peeked around the corner, the ace didn't miss even a day of practice.

While Aomine still refused to play one-on-one against anyone whose name wasn't Kagami Taiga, he openly pointed out what his teammates were doing wrong, be it their posture or bad habits that needed fixing. Those little details were something that Satsuki sometimes missed due to her not being a basketball player, so Aomine's inputs were quite priceless.

At some point, Kagami started playing with Aomine and his streetball friends too. They even joined the small tournament together just to make sure their teamwork was in a tiptop shape. Needless to say, they crushed their opponents and soon enough, they had their own following among streetballers. It was rare to see them sitting still for long because there was a long list of people who wanted to play them. Aomine acted like it was a drag, but Kagami knew that deep down, the ace was exuberant. He wouldn't have agreed so easily, otherwise.

The two carried about their lives as usual. They still fucked often and Aomine would crash at Kagami's at least twice a week. The tension between them, too, remained unresolved. Neither male wanted to disrupt what fickle relationship they had in fear of crumbling the entire wall.

Touou won interhigh on their second year, defeating Rakuzan and going to the nationals. They maintained a reputable track record as a powerhouse school who destroyed their opponents with their two brilliant aces whose improvements showed no bound. They were flashy and bright, setting the whole court on fire when they played and burned everyone who came close. However, the rest of Touou were not to be sneezed at too.

After all, when Kagami and Aomine had to be benched due to them overworking their legs during the finals, everyone else didn't falter. Their five teammates pushed on against the favourite to win. It was a long, intense match that got the two itching to play. And while they fell short eventually, everyone knew that had their aces were there, they would've snatched the victory. From that day on, the two boys vowed to never again ignore Satsuki's warning. They would go undefeated next year and get that trophy.

A sense of normalcy made its way into the team. They'd practice, study together, hang out during the weekend and sometimes had a movie night at Aomine's. Kazuhiro was present most of the time and Kagami could tell that while things still weren't right between the two Aomine's, it was slowly cooling down. After all, he caught the father and son talking quietly in the kitchen at one point when he was about to grab some more snack. He didn't want to intrude, so he smiled and turned away.

By the end of the second year, Aomine finally formally introduced Kagami to Kazuhiro over dinner at home. The tension persisted but this time, Aomine could look at his father in the eye and not try to strangle him. The fact that the elder tried to mend the broken bridge must've helped tremendously. Kagami was extremely relieved. Aomine badly needed a parental figure in his life. While Jacob filled that role most of the time, it just wasn't the same.

After that night, Kagami spent a good hour with his own father on the phone. He realised that he took Tobyn for granted, despite how busy he always was. At least he wasn't a cheating jerk.

Everything went well on basketball front too. Kagami had improved tremendously, he started winning against Aomine. It wasn't often, but he revelled at the moment when he'd snatch that victory and he'd see the frustration in the ace's eyes. It was always accompanied with a small pleased smile as if every time he lost, pieces of himself returned.

Still, Aomine didn't show any inclination of wanting to go pro. During the conversation with the Miracles that were becoming a common occurrence, he'd just sit tight in the corner, twiddling on his phone as his friends talked about their plan after high school and what their dream team was. That did nothing to stomp away Kagami's hope of wanting to play with his fellow ace in a professional scene, though. He still had one year to convince Aomine.

At the end of the second year, Aomine adopted a cat. The guy insisted on a Toyger because he claimed that it reminded him of the little princess he met during the school festival. Kagami only rolled his eyes as Aomine regurgitated two thousand name ideas only to finally settle with Maru because of how round she was.

Kagami would come over often to play with Maru. She was such a spoiled little thing, just like her owner.

However, that normalcy was destroyed at the beginning of the third year when Aomine said one innocent little sentence that shattered Kagami into pieces.

"I got a girlfriend."

"Oh." Was his only response because what else could he say? All this time, he had been lulled into a false sense of security that everything would remain the way they were. Of course, it wouldn't. Just how stupid was he to think that? Aomine didn't owe him anything and he certainly had the right to move on.

For a whole month, Kagami tried so hard to not let the stabbing sensation bother him. However, it hurt. It hurt so much to see the man he longed for walking hand-in-hand with someone else. Megumi, her name was. She had the most beautiful raven locks that probably would be just as soft to the touch and it was always tied neatly with a flaming red ribbon. She played in the girl's basketball team and was actually pretty damn good.

The current Touou captain, Kagami, would sit and watch as Aomine played with her when usually, it would only be Kagami and Aomine. Now, it was no longer like that. The two were always together and it crushed him. He wanted to run so far away and cry, but he had to smile and pretend like everything was fine. Aomine deserved to be happy and Kagami didn't want to hold him down.

Satsuki and Kuroko gave him a look of pity that he didn't want. Right now, he just wanted to snap himself out of it. Aomine didn't like him back even though at some point, Kagami was certain that he did.

Kagami would sit alone at nights, face buried in his pillow as he tried not to cry. The loss of warmth was suffocating. He didn't think unrequited affection could hit this hard, but now he knew. Every time he'd think about what Aomine and Megumi would be doing. Would they have sex? Would Aomine introduce her to Kazuhiro? Would she cook an amazing dinner for him, maybe some teriyaki burger?

Even when they conquered nationals, Kagami still felt like something was missing. He was happy, of course. But there was a small part of him that was still screaming because his victory wasn't complete. He still couldn't conquer the one thing he wanted.

The redhead reached for the empty side of his bed, desperately seeking warmth from someone he knew wasn't his. Throughout winter cup, Aomine would sit in the audience seat to watch her matches with a small smile that never failed to make Kagami's stomach lurch. He wanted to ask what was it she had that he didn't, but decided that it would be too petty.

And then December happened.

 _'What are you getting your girl for Christmas?'_ It was just a casual question that hurt him inside. He didn't really care what Aomine wanted to give her, but Kagami just wanted to talk to him for a while longer. It had been so long since they had a conversation that drew on into the night, so he clung to it, pathetic as it may be.

_'broke up last week lol'_

Kagami's eyes widened at that. There was a joyful thrumming inside him even though he knew he probably should feel bad about that. _'Shit. Are you ok?'_ He texted back.

_'eh. saw it coming'_

That didn't stop Kagami from knocking at Aomine's door at 3 AM to make sure he really was okay. Turned out, he was. Instead of bawling his eyes away after losing his girl just a few weeks before Christmas, he was staying up playing Overwatch with a lollipop in his mouth.

Kagami didn't question why he wasn't affected but was relieved to see Aomine was fine. They ended up having sex that night. He thought it weird that Aomine came so quickly like he hadn't had sex in forever. Kagami quickly chased that thought away, though. Right now, he had Aomine wrapping those dark arms around him again. It felt _right_ and Kagami didn't want to think about much else.

Thinking back to it, he probably should've told Aomine how he felt because, by the time he opened his eyes, it was already the end of their third and final year in Touou.

.

Two years and six months ago, Aomine realised that he liked Kagami. Now, that still hadn't changed. He tried hard to move on from that fruitless crush by hopping from one girl to another in the background, but he could no longer fuck anyone without comparing their bodies to Kagami's.

The redhead was muscular, stocky and clearly male, no matter which angle you looked at him from. However, there was something so precious and vulnerable about him, something that made Aomine want to wrap his arms around the guy forever. It was his bright smile, his red-hot passion and unconditional love that made Aomine think _maybe_ this wasn't a case of wrong person at the right time.

Still, what good would that do? That realisation wouldn't change the fact that Kagami was going to leave far, far away. It was a place Aomine didn't want to step into. Even after somewhat recovering from his slump, he was still scared of chasing Kagami into the unknown. Kagami was so bright and all he wanted to do was move forward. He'd walk, walk, walk, and eventually, his back would be so far away, Aomine would no longer be able to reach it.

Because Aomine might look tough, but inside, he was just a child. He built a wall around himself for the longest time because of what he saw as a child.

He was scared.

Scared of not being good enough. Scared of Kagami overtaking him and eventually, would find a rival in someone else. Scared of falling into the clutch of his ghosts once more because the second time around, Kagami might decide that enough was enough and Aomine could go fuck himself. Scared of ending up dead like his mother, all because he put all his trust in someone else only for it to be thrown back at him.

Kagami deserved better than a scaredy cat who could only act like he was some hot shit.

Instead of venturing forward, Aomine decided that it would be best to stop here and let go of Kagami's hand. He didn't need anyone to hold him back.

.

Satsuki sat in the French restaurant that Akashi recommended, her legs swishing back and forth in excitement as Kuroko finally entered along with Kagami and Aomine. Their graduation was over. Somehow, the two idiots in the room managed to not repeat their third year thanks to the last minute group study session.

They all sat around the round table while the waiter dressed in an expensive suit took their order. Everyone was pretty happy to let Akashi choose whatever he deemed acceptable.

"Man... I can't believe high school's over." Kise deflated on his chair with a huge groan. Thankfully, the guy had enough conscience to not invite his girl out on this Miracles-plus-Kagami-and-Himuro-only get together. "I'm so sad I won't be able to play against you guys any time soon."

"Hmph. Next time we meet, it will be in Staples Centre." Midorima remarked coldly even though disappointment leaked out of his voice. Over time, the greenhead learned how to express emotion like a normal human being.

"Ah, yes, that's exactly why I gathered all of us here," Akashi took out a small leather briefcase, set it on the desk and clicked it open to reveal seven dark red books with a golden 'Japan Passport' etched underneath a blooming flower. "The green cards are ready."

"Akashicchi, you're the best!" Kise was the first to grab his and marvelled at it, not forgetting to twirl it and flick it a few times. He paid particular attention to his pass photo and grinned. "Ohh, this is a good one."

"Waah... Muro-chin, look." Murasakibara lazily dragged his copy for Himuro to inspect. He and Kagami already owned one of their own, so they weren't as excited as the others.

"You're very sweet. Thank you!" Satsuki swayed back and forth with a hum as she daintily pinched the item and put it in her handbag. Of course, she had no plan to move to America, but it was a very flattering thought nonetheless.

"Much appreciated, Akashi-kun," Kuroko turned towards Kagami. "And you already own a passport of your own."

"Yep," The redhead grabbed the last in the pile after Midorima grabbed his. Then, he tossed it to Aomine who only shrugged disinterestedly. "You're really not going?" He frowned.

"Nah. That's too much effort. 'Sides, I enrolled in the police academy already. Paid the fee, so it'd be a damn waste." He mumbled nonchalantly before poking at the meticulously folded cloth on the desk.

"Well, it'll only be a year anyway, right? You can join us after that. It'll suck playing without you." Kagami nudged the blunette with his shoulder, making him glower. He learned that more than anything, simple honesty went a long way in making Aomine feel validated, no matter how negatively he seemed to react to it. Aomine was always more embarrassed than annoyed.

"But you've caught some eyes, haven't you, Kagamin? Must be nice to have someone from Bulls scouting you." Satsuki giggled while twirling her loose pink strands.

"Ah, well... uh..." He scratched his head at the combined stares. "I-it's not like I'm the only one."

"Mm, Midorima and Aomine too." Himuro remarked, not missing the slight pout in Murasakibara's lips. In response to that, he tapped his boyfriend's back reassuringly. Being Asian certainly didn't help anyone's case, thanks to Japan's nonexistent basketball achievements.

"Oh?" The bespectacled one pushed his glasses up. "Which team, Aomine?"

The blunette shrugged, so Satsuki was the one who answered him. "Timberwolves."

"That's a great team." Kuroko widened his eyes and he turned to the left where Aomine was still playing the bib.

"Being scouted doesn't mean shit. You're one of the five hundred guys they're looking at, so unless you can stand out, it's just words. Pointless."

"What, you think you're gonna lost against the other 499 people?" Kagami leaned into Aomine's space as if challenging him. It was replied with the blunette throwing the bib at his friend's face.

"Fuck off. I just don't like basket that much to wanna go pro. Anyway, instead of thinking that far, what about you think about who to take as your date to the grad party?"

"Ugh... Do I have to?" Kagami groaned at the thought. He didn't really want to go but everyone from the basket team begged him to come because he was the captain and captains were meant to always be there for his underlings until the end of time. Or something. That was what they said, those whelps.

"Kaha! That's what you get for being buddy-buddy with everyone." Aomine grinned before ruffling his red hair.

Kagami shoved his friend away and grumbled. "What 'bout you? You're taking... uh, what's her name again?"

"Asuka? Nah, man. Not my type." Aomine yawned at the memory of that plain girl. He preferred someone more fiery, more passionate. Like... well, like Kagami. But that ship ain't leaving the dock any time soon, especially when the asshole would leave for America next month,

"She's got big boobs, though." Despite the jealousy bubbling inside him, Kagami commented. Even after three years of nothing, he still harboured this affection for Aomine. It was a hopeless one, though, he realised. Still didn't mean he could get over that big softie. Kagami had a feeling that he'd remain head over heels for Aomine even after he left.

The thought of parting from this amazing ace he had got to know inside and out wounded him. He didn't know why Aomine refused to come with him to America even though it was clear that he found some fun in basket again.

"Fuck off. Not all big boobed girls are good girls. Learned my lesson."

"Oh yeah," Kagami narrowed his eyes curiously. "You never told me why you broke up with Megumi."

"Ancient history."

"C'mon! It's been like, eight months or something."

Their argument was promptly interrupted because food had arrived.

.

Neither aces were the types to dress up, so choosing nice suits to go to the grad party in was damn difficult. Thank god they had Kise, Akashi and Satsuki who spent literal hours discussing which shade of black was better. The two had been comparing two of the exact same colour for fifteen minutes now, and Kagami and Aomine sat on the bench, bored out of their minds.

After suit shopping, they went tie shopping which also lasted about an hour. Then, it was shoes which took another hour. By the end of the shopping trip, it was already night and the two went back to Aomine's place, ready to sleep.

"Evening, boys." Kazuhiro looked away from the TV and greeted the pair.

"Evening, Aomine-san!" Kagami replied loudly while Aomine muttered an 'I'm home' under his breath.

"You got everything ready?" The blunette asked quietly once they settled in the bedroom.

"Yeah. My dad's gonna come pick everyone up at the airport," The redhead proceeded to fling himself onto Aomine's bed and buried his head face down in the soft pillow that smelt distinctly Aomine. Kagami's cheeks heat up at that. "Aomine..." He glanced at his friend who kicked his bag into the corner.

"No."

"Why!? You got an interested team and Akashi made you a green card already. What's your problem?" At this point, Kagami was already too agitated. He wanted _answers_ but Aomine refused to give it to him.

"It's none of your—"

"I'm your rival!" He snapped. "I worked so hard to make you admit it. Now that you have, it's gonna be all over?"

"Kaga—"

"Am I your rival, Aomine?"

He sighed. "Yeah, stupid. You are." It was clear as day that Kagami was the rival he had been waiting for. The one who made basketball fun again for him. It was no longer a rarity to see Kagami beating him on their one-on-ones. Roughly, the win to loss ratio for Aomine was 80-20. Those losses always felt so exhilarating, to say the least. Like Kagami helped him to pick up the broken pieces of himself to be glued together again.

"Then why!?" His tone was brimming with impatience—with desperation. "Am I the only one who wants us to keep playing?"

"Kagami... there's no point talking about this. You're leaving in a few days, so don't think yourself sick. I just don't think I want to take my hobby into the next level, that's all. You're making something simple into a big deal."

"You—" He snapped his mouth shut and hissed at Aomine before turning around to face the wall. "Fine! Fuck you too!" He was so _angry._ Basketball without Aomine wouldn't be the same. He knew he'd get used to it eventually, but he didn't want to. He wanted to keep playing with Aomine—to keep passing and scoring with him. They had become such monsters in the court who could bulldoze everyone with their teamwork, so of course, Kagami wanted to keep it up. They were good, but they could get even better. Kagami _wanted_ them to get better. But apparently Aomine didn't.

The blunette sighed before putting his arms around Kagami and resting his chin on his friend's shoulder. He didn't want to leave it like this either, but it was for the best. At least for now. Kagami didn't need to worry about anything but forward.

"I'll come when I'm ready."

There was a pause before Kagami uncurl his lips and angled his head. "...Really?"

"No promises." Said Aomine quietly. By the time he was ready, Kagami would probably have already moved on. Then he'd just be stuck here cradling some stupid one-sided love that was never meant to be. If only he was in a better space, maybe he'd be more willing to take the plunge, but right now... even if he told Kagami he liked him and they got together, they'd just split up in the end. There was no use forcing two wrong pieces of the puzzle because that wouldn't achieve anything except maybe ruining them.

Just three more days. That was all they had left before they had to go separate ways. Where the hell did time go?

.

There were drunk people everywhere.

That was how Aomine and Kagami would describe the grad party. It was so ugly and it was only the first hour. Wakamatsu was somewhere in the pile of bodies currently jamming away in the dance floor. His presence wasn't entirely surprising, considering he was dating some girl one year below him.

Speaking of dating, Aomine ditched his date and so did Kagami. They didn't really want to go with those girls anyway, but they insisted. In the end, the two got drunk off their asses and were dancing the night away.

Anyway, everyone here was damn underaged but someone somehow managed to slip some alcohol past the guards, and because they were in the VIP room, no one was watching.

"Aomine-kuuun, Kagami-kuuun!" A few girls came running at them, making them immediately roll their eyes. This was the fifth time it happened. No, they didn't want to dance, thank you very much. It was bad enough that they were here. The only reason they hadn't bailed was because someone had to keep an eye on Satsuki to make sure she wouldn't kill anyone. So far so good. The boys had been respectful, but who knew what would happen as the night grew darker.

The two turned the girls down, then shortly after that, Wakamatsu plopped down on the couch next to them with his girlfriend in tow. "Not dancing?"

"What, do you wanna be my dance partner?" Aomine gave him a mocking scoff that was replied with a soft fist on his shoulder. Over time, both men grew to enjoy each other's company. They still argued a lot but they often had good back and forth too. "Hey." He waved at the dainty, quiet girl who waved back.

"Ask the guy on your other side. I think he's waiting for your hand." The blond scoffed, making Kagami's face heat up.

"I'm not!" The redhead quickly raised.

"Hah! Can you even dance?"

"Can _you_?"

Aomine took one gulp of the glass of alcohol on his hand before standing up. The drink made him quite light-headed even though consumed at a slow pace. His cheeks were flushed and so were Kagami's. "Better than you can. Let's go."

"Ooooh..." Wakamatsu laughed at the sexual tension between his friends, then watched as the two stumbled their way towards the dance floor. Kagami almost tripped over his foot at one point which meant he'd had enough to drink. Judging from the table full of empty glasses, he'd say that those two were probably out of it already.

"Captain!" Some of the boys from the basketball club immediately crowded him. They were drunk too, though some responsible ones were sober. "Aww, are you dancing with Aomine-san?"

"Heh. Watch and learn." The blunette cocked his hips smugly before he started swaying side to side to the upbeat song. It looked so drunken and messy, Kagami cracked up.

_Fight so dirty, but you love so sweet_

"That's so bad!!" He slapped his knee at Aomine's pathetic attempt at dancing.

_Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth_

"You're not dancing, which means you can't." Instead of fighting back, he teased.

_Late night devil, put your hands on me_

"Watch. Watch!" He waved his arms around and moved his hips side to side.

_And never, never, never ever let go_

"That's called flailing, stupid! Are you even seeing yourself?"

"You're not any better, dumbass." Despite that, their cheerful, carefree laughter continued on for the next three songs. At the moment, they were just two tipsy people amidst many others. There was something cathartic about fading away and becoming a part of the faceless crowd.

Until suddenly, the light dimmed down. In the corner of their eyes, they spotted Kuroko and Satsuki slowly walking towards the dance floor. They were smart to stay in the corner, away from the pile of sweaty and smelly bodies.

For a moment, everyone seemed so lost, but they quickly eased into a softer rhythm. A few minutes passed as the two boys finally managed to cool down. And then, Aomine grabbed Kagami's hands and put one on his waist.

"W-we're doing a slow dance now? That's super cheesy." The redhead stuttered at the sudden closeness, then hiccupped. The heat from the alcohol certainly wasn't helping.

"C'mon, are you hearing the song? Do you wanna fucking grind to that?" Quipped the blunette, ignoring the adoring coos and whistles from their teammates. Right now, he didn't bother glaring at them to shut the fuck up. He was too focused on Kagami. His beautiful, beautiful Kagami who'd be leaving tomorrow. Today was probably the last time he'd be able to touch this addictive, muscular body.

The calloused, warm hand that was on his waist slowly moved up under his shoulder bone, coaxing a shiver from Aomine. The touch was so light, so tentative. When he looked up into Kagami's eyes, he was met with a pair of loving red orbs that got his heart racing. After the crazy dancing they did earlier, the quiet was louder than ever.

The dark-skinned male closed his eyes and bit his lower lip. He had a feeling that if he continued to get lost in them, he'd have an even harder time letting go. Putting his hand on the redhead's shoulder, he lowered his head so their foreheads touched. Then, he sighed. "...Sorry."

"What for?"

_For being a hot mess. For being a fucking coward. For ignoring your feelings even though I feel the same way. For not wanting to let you go._

But of course, Aomine said none of that. As the current song came to a close and the beat for the next one started, he put his hands on Kagami's waist and pulled him closer so their hips touched. There was no sexual remark, no teasing words over how sappy this was. Both men knew that everything as they knew it would end. From here on, there would be nothing but uncertainty. Their basketball friends, too, stepped away to give the aces some space.

After all, everyone in the team knew how much the two loved each other.

_Wise men say only fools rush in  
_ _But I can't help falling in love with you_

Kagami intertwined his fingers behind Aomine's back so their chests came close too. From that distance, he could feel Aomine's hot, shaky breath and the sound of him swallowing nervously. The chatter and clamour of their fellow students slowly died down as they wrapped themselves in a world of their own where the only ones who existed were each other.

_Shall I stay  
_ _Would it be a sin  
_ _If I can't help falling in love with you_

"Why can't you come with me?" Kagami opened his eyes but Aomine didn't. The blunette only swayed there quietly, unaware of the stares that they garnered. Everyone heard the rumour that the two basketball aces were dating, but they thought it was just that—rumours. After all, Aomine did get a girlfriend and both of them came here with their own dates.

However, seeing the closeness of their bodies and how Kagami looked at Aomine like he was the most beautiful thing in the world started to shatter that illusion.

_Like a river flows surely to the sea  
_ _Darling so it goes  
_ _Some things are meant to be_

"I wanna keep playing with you..." The redhead hiccupped as he leaned even closer to Aomine's space. His fingers were a little shaky. "In the big court, y'know? We'll be the best... we'll beat everyone..."

 _I want it too_ , Aomine thought. There was no point in playing basketball without Kagami, so he was worried that he'd stop. Especially knowing that the whole Miracles were going to go as well. Everyone was leaving and he made the stubborn choice of staying, all because of his cowardice.

_Take my hand, take my whole life too  
_ _For I can't help falling in love with you_

But he realised that life sucked and sometimes things didn't go your way. Spending time with his streetball friends and hearing all their stories taught him that. There was only so much one person could hold in their hands before they all came spilling on the floor. And for Aomine who previously thought that he could grasp the whole world, the realisation hit him hard.

He didn't have enough space in his hands to hold Kagami's feelings. Not when he was finally starting to hold himself. But that didn't stop him from falling anyway.

_Like a river flows surely to the sea  
_ _Darling so it goes  
_ _Some things are meant to be_

"Kagami—" Aomine brushed his lips against his friend's ear. He mouthed something but stopped halfway. Instead, he pulled away slightly and put their foreheads together again. This time, his deep blue met Kagami's dark red and they kept it that way.

The redhead sighed in contentment as he drank the sight of Aomine's gorgeous blue eyes only to have a hand cupping his cheek. Those eyes drew closer yet and when he realised what was happening...

_Take my hand, take my whole life too_

Their lips met.

And the world seemed to stop.

It was soft, tentative and shaky. Aomine's lips were slightly chapped and so were Kagami's. Slowly, they closed their eyes. Their bodies refused to stop swaying to the music. In the back of their heads, they remembered that this probably was the last time in a long time that they'd be able to touch each other.

So stupid. Three years and they never did tell each other how they felt. Only now were they brave enough to do that, but there was no point anymore.

Both of them thought that they'd get over it. Unfortunately, they never did. Because this went beyond a simple puppy crush or infatuation or even lust.

_For I can't help falling in love with you  
_ _For I can't help falling in love with you_

Yes, if they could put a name to this feeling, it would be love.

.

The farewell couldn't feel any shorter. Satsuki was practically sobbing in Kuroko's arms while telling him how much she'd miss him. The usually emotionless boy even displayed a soft, sad smile as he stroke her hair. Murasakibara and Himuro looked nonchalant, hands holding each other's while the former was busy stocking up on snacks. Akashi browsed through the bookstore with Midorima, and Kise glanced through the entertainment section.

Kagami stood away from their friends. Next to him was Aomine who had been quiet for the past few hours. Neither male talked about what happened yesterday except for the fact that everyone got kicked due to underage drinking.

"Kagami-kun, it's time to go." Said Kuroko, appearing out of nowhere and startling the pair.

"Uh, yeah. Well..." He glanced at Aomine. "Keep in touch."

"...Mm." He replied shortly, arms crossed and lips pursed tightly into a line.

They didn't say anything else. Kagami turned around and paced towards the others before he could do something dumb like kissing Aomine's stupid lips and deciding to stay.

It was too cruel to realise that he was deep in love one day before they were to go separate ways. There was no telling where they'd go from here and if they'd even meet again. Kagami wanted to believe that they would, but...

"Kagami!"

He jerked back and turned to see Aomine, eyes filled with repressed emotion.

"You better make it big. Or I'll kill you," He took a deep breath. "Make _this_ worth it."

This separation. This pain. This grief from letting the one you love slip through your fingers.

Tears pooled in Kagami's eyes but he quickly blinked them away. With a firm nod, he jabbed a fist forward. "Next time you see me will be on the TV. You'd better be watching."

Aomine, too, held out his fist and grinned. "That's my tiger."

.

It was way too quiet without the colourful group.

Aomine and Satsuki stood in front of the international terminal, neither of them saying a thing until they were far away.

"Is this really okay, Dai-chan?" She was still sobbing, and the sniffles led to Aomine pulling her into his arm. "Should we go with them? I'll miss them so much... And you too... you and Kagamin—"

"Stop talking." The blunette mumbled. "We'll be fine."

" _I'll_ be okay. But will you?" She sniffled. "K-Kagamin won't be here to help. And the timezone between America and Japan is just..."

"I'll be fine," He said halfheartedly. "I'm okay now. I can take care of myself. Besides..." He grinned. "I'm not alone, you know? I've got you and Jacob and the others."

Hearing the reassuring words made her smile. She wiped her eyes with her sleeves and put an arm around her friend's waist. "Dai-chan's all grown up now."

"Heh. Shut up."

The two looked back to see a plane soaring into the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THAT'S IT FOR THIS PART *wipes sweat* now I'm gonna start planning for the rest of the fic... I'm sorry that I didn't get them together ;;; but it just doesn't feel right to rush this relationship...
> 
> Also life really sucks and sometimes two people who are meant for each other just... don't get together.
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far. I'll be taking a break because my poor plot bunnies are exhausted :)) As always, comments are highly appreciated! i love you all uwu thanks for reading this far.
> 
> Edit: [Can't Help Falling in Love With You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npwHNcGqueE)  
> [Teeth](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_03wQecDt4U)


	21. A Step Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI ALL! I'm back from my break and I'm happy to tell you that I've planned up to chapter 31 and they're still not dating
> 
> ...hahaha...ha..... uh................ sorry about that  
> and to think i have to write their wedding, retirement and everything in between.........lmfao
> 
> Also, I'll start scheduling my updates from now on to prevent overworking~ From now on, updates will be made weekly every Saturday (so the next one will be in 10 days)
> 
> aside from that, enjoy this chapter!!! We won't be going to Kagami's POV anytime soon, so pls get reacquaintanced with this extra soft Aomine that Kagami created
> 
> comments are greatly appreciated! <3 have a great day and stay safe! beware of second wave of coronavirus qwq
> 
> Part 2: Adulthood
> 
>  **PRE-NBA**  
>  Chapter 21: A Step Forward  
> Chapter 22: Maturity  
> Chapter 23: Chasing After You  
> Chapter 24: Back to The Start Line  
>  **EARLY-NBA**  
>  Chapter 25: A Different You  
> Chapter 26: The Fire I Need  
> Chapter 27: So Close Yet So Far  
> Chapter 28: A United Will  
> Chapter 29: Tear Us Apart  
> Chapter 30: Dead Man Walking  
> Chapter 30.5: Player Report  
> Chapter 31: Longing  
> Chapter 32: You and I  
> Chapter 33: The Promise We Made  
>  **NBA PRIME**  
>  Chapter 34: When Blue and Red Clash  
> Chapter 35: Acclaimed Rivals  
> Chapter 36: Our Life Together  
> Chapter 37: Unyielding Chemistry  
> Chapter 38: Cheers to Today (And Many More)  
> Chapter 39: Leaving a Mark  
> Chapter 40:  
> 

Even though dark grey cloud hung over the city as a sign that this morning's weather forecast of heavy rain was about to come true, the three figures running around in the otherwise empty basketball court refused to stop. Feminine and childish giggles cut through the gloomy morning of only 8 AM along with the noise of hard rubber ball being dribbled against the concrete ground.

"Daiki nii-chan, wait!" The taller of the two girls laughed as she ran towards the hulking figure of 196 cm slowly making his way towards the ring in an exaggerated fashion.

"Millie, steal the ball, I'll hold him off!" She charged towards the male and fell into an excellent defensive stance. It was hardly enough to stop Aomine, but instead of completely trashing the girls, he gasped dramatically and stopped.

"Got it!" The other girl slapped the ball away for it to fall into her sister's waiting hands. Both girls giggled once more as they ran as fast as they could towards the other ring. They threw it only for it to bounce off the ring.

Aomine only laughed when it fell on the ground, not even bothering to take the rebound. Lily was there ready for the follow-up and together, they scored. The pair cheered excitedly and they tackled Aomine with flowery grins. "Again, again! That was so cool, Lily. You went all whoosh and bam!"

"No, you were way cooler when you stopped Dai-nii!" They were practically hanging off Aomine's sides until he sighed and picked them both up in one shoulder each. They laughed and held on tightly as the elder jogged towards the bench and set them down. They refused to let go of Aomine's arm and instead, stared at him wide-eyed. "Dai-nii, do my hair!"

"Your hair?" The blunette was quick to become flustered at the request. He had no experience with long hair except Satsuki's that he kept pulling by accident until she cried. He didn't really want a repeat of that.

"Me too, Daiki nii-chan!" Millie tugged on his sleeve.

"F-fine, turn around. Stay still, okay?" He took a deep breath and braced himself for the worst.

"Can I marry you when I'm big, Dai-nii?"

"No, _I'm_ marrying Daiki nii-chan! I'll be so good at basket and—"

"I won't allow it!" Jacob suddenly swooped from behind with both arms and pulled his daughters into his arms. "No offense, Daiki."

"Heh. None taken." He shrugged as the girls clung to Jacob and ran towards their mother who stood close behind. Whew. Saved!

"Did Daiki take good care of you girls?" She crouched down and gave them each a kiss on the forehead. Both cooed and started telling stories simultaneously while tugging on her.

"Thanks for babysitting. Work called at the last moment so we didn't really know who else to go to. Besides, it was damn 5 AM when they called."

The police officer straightened his back and cracked his joints, basketball slotted between his right arm and waist. "No biggies. It's nice seeing them playing," Spinning the rubber ball on his index finger, he angled his head towards the court. "A game?"

Jacob dropped his folders on the bench and slapped the blunette's back. They both headed for the court.

"These past three years have treated you well." He gave the younger a smile.

"You think so?"

A nod. "You've got colour now, kiddo. Not a bad look. And besides, the old you would never agree to babysitting, even if it's only for an hour."

Aomine laughed at that. It was a gesture he never thought he'd do too.

Both of them played for a few minutes but had to stop because Jacob wasn't wearing his proper sporting attire. They ended up having breakfast outside in their favourite cafe while discussing nothing and everything. Over the year, Aomine had grown very close to the African-American and would often play ball together when they weren't working.

"We've got a tournament coming up real soon. How's your schedule looking like? Shame that you missed our last one." Jacob said after popping a piece of sausage into his mouth.

"Yeah, I should be able to join this time. Mizuki and the twins are coming too, right?" At the nod, Aomine smirked. Playing with them was always a treat. "Cool. Did we ever decide on a team name, by the way?"

"Still changing every damn time. Shuuji wants to have Phoenix but Yuuji wants Falcon. Then Mizuki wants Legion or something... Seriously, they just can't decide."

"I still think Spark is the best," His phone rang mid-sentence and he glanced at it. "Satsuki. 'Scuse me." At the nod, he picked it up.

 _"Dai-chan, where are you?"_ She asked, straight to the point with a tinge of frustration in her tone.

"Ah, fu—er," He glanced at Lily and Millie. "Damn. I thought it was tomorrow. Going back now! Sorry, man. Forgot something and now Satsuki's gonna kill me." He fumbled with his phone, grabbed his bag and nodded at Miyako, Jacob's wife.

Realisation dawned on Jacob and he grinned before pulling Aomine into a hug, clapped his back once and then letting go. "Tell me the result, yeah?"

"On chat. See ya!" Aomine dashed out of the restaurant all while rummaging through his jacket pocket to grab the key to his motorcycle. He started the engine, put on his helm with blue flame printed on it, then drove home. It was sprinkling by the time he was out and thunder slowly rumbled in the distance, signifying the storm that was to come. Not wanting it to catch up to him, he sped up (to the safe limit, of course) and reached Satsuki's in a matter of minutes.

He parked the bike near the family car, put the helmet down and straightened his hair. He then opened the door. "Sorry, I'm late! Has it started yet?"

"Almost. Quick! Geez, what were you doing, Dai-chan? Don't tell me you were fooling around again..." Satsuki perked up, scowl clear in her face.

"I told you I was babysitting Jacob's girls." He jumped onto the free space on the couch and said his hello to Satsuki's parents who only smiled at his antics.

_"Utah Jazz selects Danez Reid."_

"Yeah, can't say I didn't see that coming." Aomine cracked open a can of cold beer on the table and watched as the crowd congratulated the first overall draft pick for the year.

"Did Kagamin say Bulls was going to draft him?" Satsuki took a potato chip and puts it in her mouth.

_"Los Angeles Clippers selects Cary Murray."_

"Nah. It's still up in the air, as far as I'm concerned. They said they were gonna do it last year, but that fell through. They just got too many members at the moment," Even after three years had passed, they still kept in touch as often as they possibly could. Timezone and their responsibilities made it difficult, though. "He's 21. Still super young, so I don't think we've got anything to worry about."

"My, you sure have a lot of faith in him." Kiyoko giggled, making Aomine laugh.

_"Golden State Warriors selects Kordell McDaniel."_

"Yeah, guess so. He's been doing real good in his uni team. If anyone doesn't have an eye on him, they've been sleeping." Aomine hummed as he kept an eye on the the TV. He knew the road wouldn't be without curves. After all, not many NBA athletes came from Asia—especially Japan. The Miracles might be good, but it didn't mean their talents would be picked up immediately. Those guys had to _work_. And even then, they might never be drafted. Some people were just unlucky.

A bitter pill to swallow, but Aomine had accepted it. All that remained now was to see if anyone would give up. He knew that Kagami would never, so he was more or less relaxed.

He lounged on the sofa and continued watching the drafting while discussing it with everyone else. Nowadays, they made it a habit to sit down and watch replays of NBA games whenever they could just so they could stay up-to-date with the Miracles' competitions.

_"With the eighteenth pick, Miami Heat selects Taiga Kagami from University of California."_

"Kagamin!" Satsuki squealed when the shocked redhead came into view. Next to him was his father and the rest of the rainbow groups who were quick to congratulate him.

Before Aomine could say anything to express his excitement, his phone was bombarded with a barrage of messages that deafened the room. He frantically grabbed his phone to see a flood of texts from his old Touou teammates, his current streetball buddies and some work colleagues. For now, he put it on vibrate and fixed his eyes on the screen once more.

In it, Kagami looked so awkward and overwhelmed but undeniably happy. With such a tight-fitting dark red suit that fit so well on his body, he walked towards the stage to grab his hat while his record playing in the UCLA team was being shown on the left-hand side.

Even though it wasn't him who was chosen, he felt his heart beating a thousand miles per hour. Kagami was smiling. It was the happiest he'd ever seen the redhead. That alone was reason enough for Aomine to be pumped. With his fists clenched on his thighs, he refrained from yelling his excitement. Instead, he pursed his lips together so hard, they started shaking.

Satsuki and her parents only watched in amusement as Aomine tried to conceal his joy. The guy finally cracked a grin and let out a chuckle after a few seconds and he did a mini fistpump as if he just won the lottery.

"Fuck. Fuck yeah!" He finally said, head thrown back. "He did it! That fucker actually did."

"Yeah!" Satsuki giggled along. "We have to call him later. I'm sure he's dying to talk to you too, Dai-chan."

Looked like he didn't have to wait for long because his phone vibrated to show a LINE message from Kagami that read: _'were you watching, stupid?'_

With a grin, Aomine typed back: _'u fucking bet hotshot. cant believe u actually did it. call me later'_

Kagami didn't reply back, presumably because he had to tend to other stuff that came after the drafting. So, the bluehead replied back to everyone who hype-messaged him.

_"With the thirty-third pick, Milwaukee Bucks selects Shintarou Midorima from University of California."_

"Holy shit, he did it too." He immediately looked up from his phone and stared at disbelief, blue eyes gleaming with surprise.

Satsuki looked like she was about to cry with the way she flailed her legs back and forth. "Midorin!!" She thumped Aomine's shoulder and buried her head in his neck. "He did it, Dai-chan!"

"Fuck, that's awesome. Who's next? Anyway, why the hell do their teams match their hair colours?"

Seeing the look of pure joy in Aomine's face made Satsuki even happier. It was one that surfaced more and more often these days. She wouldn't trade it for the world. The Aomine right now was truly a reflection of what he'd be like had Teiko never happened. While he still had his bad days where she feared that his old self would return, it was only for a moment and never more than that.

_"Chicago Bulls selects Larriel Waters."_

And Aomine, he truly was having the time of his life. Seeing how much more mature his former teammates sparked something inside him. It wasn't like he was jealous of how far they had gotten. His envy stemmed from the fact that everyone around him charged head-first towards their dream and grasped it with their own hands. In a way, he was jealous of their courage.

_"Minnesota Timberwolves selects Hakim Taylor."_

Midorima adjusted his glasses and took steady breaths. His eyes remained focused as he took his hat and put it on.

Aomine couldn't help thinking of putting on a Lakers hat too and it made him shake his head. This dream of becoming an NBA player was still dormant inside him. There was something that told him that he still wasn't ready. It would be a disrespect to come to America and half-ass everything, so it was probably best not to. Kagami would punch him if he did that.

Honestly, he wasn't sure why he was so stubborn about not going and he was content to stay here. Perhaps one day, he'd find the answer and would be able to rectify it. Then, he'd finally fly to Kagami and play with him again. But not now.

_"Toronto Raptors selects Atsushi Murasakibara from University of California."_

"Yo!" Both Aomine and Satsuki leapt and high-fived each other. "That's a trifecta right there!" He grinned when he saw the purplehead opening his eyes while his boyfriend of five years tapped him on the shoulder.

"Ahh, I wish I can hug all of them right now. What a day!" Satsuki did a small twirl before diving straight for her own phone to tell everyone all about it.

"And when is your turn, Daiki?" Kojiro teased, to which Aomine just scowled. "Yes, yes. Not ready, right?"

"It's not like I don't wanna... I just don't think I can handle the commitment."

"Kids these days. This is exactly why you lost Kagami-kun!" Kiyoko scowled the blunette who crossed his arms.

"C'mon, get off my case. We're just friends." He denied despite knowing that it went far, far beyond that. That relationship between them was a confusing mix of friendship, lust and love. Aside from them, no one really understood it and he was fine keeping it that way. Even now, Aomine still felt some degree of affection towards his friend which was probably beyond stupid.

Kagami wasn't someone anyone could get over. The redhead had this... _presence_. And him leaving left a gaping hole where he was supposed to be. Aomine was inconsolable for the first few months but eventually picked himself back up because he refused to keep sulking all because his first love packed up and left. It was pathetic.

The inner monologue was interrupted when Satsuki suddenly received a video call that she eagerly picked up. On the other side were the entire Miracles waving cheerfully at the camera. The pinkette jumped in excitement at seeing her friends and she was quick to congratulate the three that made it into a professional team.

 _"I missed out again! I can't believe Kagamicchi got drafted before me even though I scored more than him last match."_ Kise whined while shaking Kuroko dramatically.

 _"You need to find your own playstyle, Kise-kun. Maybe then, you'll get drafted too,"_ The shortest of the bunch commented flatly before turning towards Murasakibara who had his hand in Himuro's. _"But I saw that coming, Murasakibara-kun. Congratulations."_

 _"Yeah..."_ He yawned before putting his chin on Himuro's head. Over the course of three years, he got even taller and that build was probably why he was drafted. _"Join me quickly, Muro-chin."_

 _"I'm working on it."_ He patted Murasakibara's cheek.

 _"Would you two mind toning it down?"_ Midorima shook his head. _"To be drafted so low in the list is beyond me."_

 _"Well, we can't help it. We're still young and inexperienced in their eyes, so it's only natural that they have to think twice."_ Despite his calm words, Akashi looked frustrated too for missing his chance this year.

"You guys will make it next year. I'm sure! And Tetsu-kun, you've been doing soooo good!" Satsuki squealed at the sight of her prince charming. "Just let me know if you need a new training regiment, I'll definitely make the best one yet."

 _"That's much appreciated, Momoi."_ The shorter redhead smiled.

"Oi, you've been quiet, idiot." Aomine peeked from behind the girl's shoulder and upon hearing that voice, Kagami perked up. He gave the screen a wide grin and his entire complexion changed. No doubt that he was dying to get away from this team to call Aomine, but now that the blunette made himself known, Kagami was happy.

 _"Who're you calling an idiot?"_ He laughed.

"Man of the hour's here at last. How does it feel to finally get in the NBA for real?"

 _"I'm super pumped. I met Wood and Lowe earlier. Like, in flesh. It's so fucking surreal, I'm still shaking right now. Look."_ He showed off his quivering arm.

"Hah! You'd better not forget the rest of us now that you're playing with the big dogs." Aomine grinned, arms crossed.

 _"I'd never!"_ He looked a little offended at that. _"You guys are my friends first and foremost. No way I'm forgetting any of you."_

"I was teasing, stupid. Don't get so fucking sappy, you'll make Satsuki cry." He ruffled the pinkette's soft hair only for his hand to be slapped away.

"Geez, Dai-chan! I won't cry over that." She puffed out her cheeks which contributed to Aomine's annoying cackles.

 _"Ah, our ride's here. Let's speak again soon. Besides, isn't it almost time for your shift, Aomine?"_ Akashi smiled.

The police officer stretched and groaned. "Yeah. Gotta take a shower now. Talk to you later, Bakagami. Congrats again."

 _"Heh,"_ Kagami rubbed his nose in embarrassment and pride. _"Yeah. Thanks,"_ Just before Akashi could press the hang up button, he flailed. _"Wait, you're up for some Super Smash Bros later, right?"_

"You're ready for more ass-kicking? Let's do it." With a thumbs-up, the call disconnected and Aomine chuckled to himself. Talking with Kagami never ceased to make his stomach aflutter like he was a dumb fifteen years old in love.

Satsuki rubbed her friend's back and offered him a smile. She was over trying to tell him to openly discuss his feelings with Kagami. Aomine was a stubborn guy, so none of her naggings would penetrate that thick skull of his. "C'mon, go get ready for your shift."

Well, she was just glad to know that she was wrong when she said that Aomine and Kagami would only have two years and six months. Looked like they'd have much more than that. Maybe one day, fate would be kind to them and reunite them once more.

.

The first few months of Kagami's departure was a whole lot of adjusting for Aomine who was already too used to having that fire next to him. He felt empty. Even when he stood on the basketball court, it just felt off. A huge part of his life was missing and it drove him insane.

It was especially bad because Kagami hardly had time for him. Between moving house, enrolling in a new uni and getting used to America again, they barely ever talked. Funny because Kagami was the one who said to keep in touch.

Aomine sulked to no end and Satsuki constantly worried over him. He'd refuse to get out of bed because there was no point. It wasn't like anyone was waiting for him. Surprisingly enough, his dad was the person who was there for him.

The elder would have a set working schedule and would always make sure there was always food in the fridge for lunch. They'd have dinner together and more often than not, they'd eat out. Kazuhiro said it was because he didn't have time to cook but Aomine suspected that his father just wanted him to get out of the house.

After the third month, Aomine managed to pick himself back up and started getting ready for life in the police academy. By then, Kagami's schedules had freed up too and his messages became more and more common. A sense of normalcy returned and remained.

It didn't mean that he was over Kagami, though. Far from it. Did he regret not going further? Not really. If Kagami was still here, would he want to go further? Yeah. Maybe.

Aomine felt more stable than ever now. No longer suffocated—he could breathe. He might still keep most people at an arm's length away, but nowadays, he felt so liberated like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Like the cloud in his life had finally parted and made way for sunlight. It was far easier to smile now than it ever was. Of course, it wasn't something that happened in a click of a finger, but he had to ease himself into it for months and years because, at some point, he had forgotten how to be kind.

So, this change of pace wasn't a bad one. Slowly, people gathered around him. He started to have his little circle with his ball friends and colleagues from work. Hell, he even made it a habit to go out drinking sometimes with them, especially after his 21st birthday.

"It's so damn cool that Taiga made it. When I told my university friends about it, they didn't believe me."

Aomine snorted at his friend's comment. As he took a gulp of water, the other male shot the ball right into the hoop. "Yeah, you've got that kinda untrustworthy face, Wakamatsu."

"Nah, that's you," The platinum blond grinned just as he landed. The ball rolled towards his feet and he picked it up. "C'mon, one more." He threw it towards Aomine who caught it with one hand.

He actually found comfort in his banters with Wakamatsu because aside from Kagami, that guy was the only one who'd actively quip back. "Where's the capt'?" He casually remarked while dribbling.

Wakamatsu fell into a defensive stance with his arms stretched outwards. "He's running a bit late. Think he's taking the same train as Ryou. Law school ain't no joke."

"I get Imayoshi doing law, but _Ryou_? How's he gonna do anything aside from pissing the whole damn court with his apologies?"

The blond chuckled while he jabbed his hand forward to steal the ball to no avail.

"Ah, you guys are here already." Came a sentence in thick Kansai accent.

"Fashionably late!" Without even looking at the ring, Aomine threw the ball from under his arm and it went in, making Wakamatsu gawk.

"We had to return a book first and we missed the train. My bad for not driving here..." Not an explicit apology. Sakurai sure had changed, Aomine decided.

"Yeah, not jealous at all. C'mon, let's play. Gotta make sure Strky is at its tiptop shape before the tournament." Aomine put an arm around his former captain and dragged him towards the court. While Imayoshi still rubbed him the wrong way sometimes, he was a lot easier to be around after a while.

"You should join an official streetball team too, Aomine. It's a waste of skill." The bespectacled male regarded as he dropped his bag and slipped out of the ex-power-forward's grasp.

"I'm pretty happy with Jacob and the others. It's hard for me to play with others I don't know." It made his individualistic basket return, more often than not. The lonely, sad playstyle he vowed to ditch. He feared that if he fell back to it again, it'd be hard to break away. Especially without Kagami to punch some sense into him.

"You can always join us. We'd be more than happy to have you."

Aomine shrugged. "You've got a thing going on already. I'd hate to upset the balance."

Wakamatsu snorted at that. "Man, you've really changed. It's so weird."

"Haah?"

"Whatever. Let's play now!" The blond tossed the ball towards Sakurai.

Ever since high school, they made it a habit to play some ball at least once a fortnight and today was no exception. The friendly game would last at least an hour, then they'd grab some food afterwards while chatting about everything crazy that happened. Being the police officer, Aomine surprisingly had little tales to tell. Most of them were just talks regarding the GOMs that everyone appreciated and of course, Kagami.

Oh, how could anyone ever forget that guy? He single-handedly changed Touou in a span of a few months, so it was only natural that everyone missed him.

"Miami Heat, huh? They're starting to fall off last year, so let's see if Kagami can do anything about it." Imayoshi shipped on his cup of chilled coffee in a cafe. Sakurai had a big caramel macchiato with cream and Wakamatsu had a big croissant. Aomine was happy with his BLT sandwich.

"He'd better. Or I'll kick his ass."

"So you'll fly to America just to do that?" Sakurai added quietly with an amused, sheepish smile.

"If I have to. Then I'll fly back here and get him to pay for my travel expenses."

_Ding!_

Aomine grabbed his phone and unlocked it to see a message from Kagami that made him chuckle. At everyone's questioning look, he rolled his eyes. "Kagami sent me a stupid meme."

"At 4 AM?" Wakamatsu snorted.

"Apparently," He typed a: _'get the fuck back to bed'_ before putting it face down on the table. "He hasn't been able to sleep ever since his drafting. Like, it's been a week now and he said he keeps waking up in the middle of the night and randomly gets hyped."

"Classic Taiga. I mean, he's been looking forward to this his entire life, so I get him. If it was me, I'd probably do the same too." The blond remarked.

"It's nice that you are keeping in touch with him, though," Said Sakurai. "I have to admit that I was scared for a moment that... well, that you two will stop talking."

That made Aomine fall silent for a bit. He drummed his fingers on the table and nodded. "I think we almost did. But whatever. We're fine now, so I'd rather not think about it." At some point, he thought the same too. The lack of communication between them made him restless and he wasn't sure if he should be the first to send a message or not. All the updates regarding Kagami, Aomine had to hear from Kuroko, which was honestly kinda annoying. Even now, he hadn't heard a good explanation for the radio silence. It was something that he definitely had to grill Kagami about, one day.

Once again, his phone made a loud _ding_ noise. Thinking that it was Kagami again, he opened it with a smile. It was a gesture that faded soon after, replaced with a frown and a contemplative hum.

"You're popular today." Imayoshi smirked.

"Mm." Was his only response as he typed up a response and hit send. With one hard blink, he pocketed his phone and focused back on his friends.

"Don't you find it weird that Midorima got drafted so late in the list?" Started Wakamatsu.

"Honestly, with those ridiculous three-pointers? Same. Then again, they haven't played that many games. It's only recently that they finally got signed up with UCLA team, so it's natural that everyone's tentative," Replied the dark-skinned male. "Besides, there are others who aren't even drafted yet."

"Do... you think it's because Kuroko-san and Akashi-san are... shorter?" Sakurai hesitantly added.

"No doubt it's partly because of that. There are some cases of guys their height being picked, though, so I think it'll just be time before that happens," He spoke with his mouth full then proceeded to lick his fingers. In the call, Akashi might've maintained an aura of indifference, but he could tell that his former captain was frustrated. Kuroko, too, looked bothered.

While they wouldn't be the shortest players in the history of NBA, if they got drafted, it must suck to be overlooked. But well, there was always next year. All of them were still damn young anyway.

"Anyway, gotta go." He grabbed his duffel bag and put it over his shoulder.

"You're meeting... what's her name again?" Wakamatsu turned to glance at Aomine who nodded.

"Yumi. Yeah, she said she's free now. She's unbearable when I'm late, so I better dash. Ciao." With a flick salute, he hurried out of the premise. He could be seen running across the street with his phone on his ear. He looked positively annoyed.

Sakurai and Imayoshi both exchanged a look that didn't go past Wakamatsu. Scratching his head, he sighed. "That's his new sex friend or something. I think about three weeks old. A real babe. Huge tits," He rolled his eyes. "And a redhead."

"Hm... He sure does have an inclination towards redhead. I wonder why," Imayoshi took a sip of his beverage with a mocking chuckle. "Isn't his last girl also a redhead?

"I think Aomine mentioned that it's dyed," Sakurai muttered. "I still can't believe he didn't end up dating Kagami... I had my money on them being together after the first summer holiday too."

"Satsuki took all our cash didn't she? I knew that making a bet with her is dumb." Wakamatsu shook his head at the memory.

"Well, it was an unpleasant surprise for all of us. They had always been so close and they were having intimate relations too. I thought it'd just be time, but guess we were all mistaken," The Kansai accent persisted in the former captain's voice. "Look at the bright side, I suppose. They're still keeping in touch and Aomine... he looks good lately, doesn't he?"

The other two men nodded. "Better than I've seen in years. He doesn't have eyebags and doesn't frown as much anymore. He looks ten years younger."

"He is truly far easier to be around..." Sakurai cracked a smile. "I'm glad that he didn't go back to _that_ scary Aomine."

"I think he came close, but he managed to stop himself. I guess once is enough or something? Well, anyway, you're right. I actually like hanging out with him now." That statement made Imayoshi nod.

"I think he finds a little bit of Kagami in you. That's why he keeps you around."

"Come on!" Wakamatsu groaned at Imayoshi's teasing. "We have our back and forth but I'm definitely no Taiga."

"I dunno. Your brash personality, your hair, your intense eyes..." The man in glasses hummed. "Next thing we know, you two will start having intimate relations as well."

"Eww! Get that outta my mind! That's so gross. I mean, not that there's anything wrong with being gay, but y'know? Not Aomine. Ew."

Imayoshi and Sakurai laughed at that.

Today was another calm, peaceful week with nothing out of the ordinary. Life in high school might have been crazy and overwhelming for them, but life in uni was surprisingly serene. Their Tiger was out there maintaining that hectic lifestyle, though. So everyone slowly began to wonder when the Panther would finally arise from his slumber.

Or if he would ever.


	22. Maturity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually didn't intend to rush this much, but I did. I combined the concept of chapter 22+23 together, so apologies if it feels too hectic! Just a word of warning, we won't get into Kagami's POV until briefly on chapter 25, then a proper one on chapter 27. You guys will be in the dark just as much as Aomine will be! Mwahahha!
> 
> Anyway, hope you guys are keeping safe out there <3
> 
> Also disclaimer: I have no idea how this scouting bullshit works, so from here on out, assume I'm making shit up (I did my research but it's still confusing!). Ah and another thing, I won't be writing about real life players because that's awkward as fuck. Assume everyone retired and this is a whole new generation of NBA!

Another snoozefest.

Aomine opened his mouth wide and yawned like his life depended on it—wide enough for a fly to wander inside, but thankfully it didn't. He refrained from scratching his butt as he walked his bicycle back towards the police station. The stares and giggles from the ladies were common occurrences at this point, so he just ignored them.

Well, unless someone cute looked his way anyway. Aomine glanced across the street to see a few college girls making eyes at him. With mirth, Aomine took off his hat and winked at them, making them melt into a puddle of goo. He knew full well how hard he rocked this uniform that so happened to complement his dark skin tone and dark blue hair. And then, of course, he chose one size down that would accentuate his muscles so—

_SMACK._

"Oww!"

"Stop fooling around!" Was the stern, loud voice of his higher up who immediately grab the back of Aomine's collar and dragged him towards the building directly to their right. "Do your report now and we'll review the new patrol route."

"Fine, fine, stop pulling!" He kicked and screamed his way into the office. Definitely a sight that coaxed some chuckles from the passerbys. Aomine was actually quite known in the area thanks to his young age and good looks, so no one batted an eyelash anymore when his boss openly scolded him for flirting with every pretty lady that he came across. Sometimes Aomine would even hit up guys, but he had a strangely specific taste when it came to that gender. They had to be tall, muscular, wild hair and some attitude. Being in Japan, there wasn't many of the sorts.

He begrudgingly settled on his desk and started typing away the pickpocketing incident near the shopping centre. The poor bugger who tried to run away from him stood no chance. The frightened look on his face was priceless and it made Aomine grin. Yeah, one would be a fool to challenge him to a battle of speed.

This isolated case was a new one, surprisingly. Usually, he just helped the elderly with their shopping bags, grabbed cats who climbed too far up the trees and delivered lost wallets back to their owners. So, he felt pretty damn good to finally feel like a proper policeman.

"Sent, chief." The blunette gulped what was left of his coffee before moving towards the board where patrol schedules were listed. He stood there for a few seconds, scanning through the page to find his name before he completely lost his focus and had to start again from the top. He noted the street and looked at the time, then glanced around to see a few colleagues busy on their desk.

This was his everyday. He would work at different hours, do errands for civilians, play ball with colleagues and other friends, then head back home at around 10 PM where his dad usually would watch TV.

Having a routine was admittedly nice. Between work and fulfilling social life, he felt grounded and immovable. He _could_ picture himself remaining here forever. He'd get over Kagami eventually, find a nice girl to settle with and then... then that would be it. An uneventful life was a good one, right?

_"I'll come when I'm ready."_

The careless words he threw around in the airport weighed heavily on him. One part of him wanted to go chase his dream when he was a mere kid, but the other part told him to hang the towel and put his head down. Life was too comfortable for him to leave behind right now, and if he packed up right now, he might risk ruining his chance of a normal life.

"You're spacing out," A woman elbowed him on the side, making him jump. "What's going on in that noggin' of yours?"

"Nothing." The blunette rubbed his side with a pout. This was another one of his bosses, but she was a lot more relaxed comparing to everyone else.

"Nothing is right. Go get to your station, lazyass."

"I'm going, I'm going." With a huff, Aomine grabbed his hat and walked outside where his bicycle awaited. He dragged it with him as he strolled towards his patrol area to see nothing out of the ordinary. It was the weekend, so he saw kids playing in the park and the sporting ground. No suspicious character was in sight, making him yawn.

He parked his bike on the side and decided to walk past the fountain in the middle, then sat on the bench to observe the playground. Again, he yawned and rubbed his eyes.

Too boring.

Well, he supposed this _would_ be, especially after what clusterfuck happened during high school. Thinking back to it, everything was so chaotic but fun. Playing with his friends, fighting, making up and growing together. All those events passed him by and now, he could only smile at how lively it was. Sometimes he wondered if he could feel that excitement again because that adrenaline was akin to being high on alcohol. Addictive. Liberating.

 _God, I'm getting old._ He laughed at himself before resuming his patrol.

The day went by slowly. After he finished work, he received a message from Satsuki telling him that she was waiting for him in a nearby izakaya, so he headed straight there.

He slid the door open and was immediately greeted with a delicious waft of food and the clinking of glass. The light was orange, slightly dimmed and in the corner, he spotted a certain pinkette waving at him.

Aomine settled next to her and gave her a quick hug. "What's up? You don't ask me to eat out often."

"Aah, you know, I thought it'd be nice to do this once in a while."

Aomine quirked an eyebrow. Something was certainly up, considering the nervous yet jovial expression she equipped. However, that didn't stop them from falling into a light-hearted conversation about work, uni and everything inbetween. Aomine really enjoyed spending time with Satsuki. She was intelligent, witty and patient. Today was no different.

"Uhm... Dai-chan." She took a deep breath, a huge grin spreading on her lips.

"Spill it, Sats'ki." Said Aomine after putting his glass of beer down.

"I'm..." She giggled. "I'm dating Tetsu-kun now."

The blunette's jaw dropped. He was silent for a moment, eyes wide. "...You what!? Wait, wait. What? How? When!?"

"One question at a time!" Satsuki's cheeks were bright. Putting her fingers together in front of her chest, she hummed. "Three days ago. We've been talking everyday ever since he left and... well, we decided to give it a try. It might be difficult since it's long-distance, but I know we can do it!"

"Damn... That's crazy. But I'm happy for you. Seriously." Aomine scratched his head, still confused how that even happened. He knew that they grew closer during high school, considering how much they hung out, but he never thought that _Kuroko_ would have interest in things like dating.

Guess everyone had done some growing up. Time was changing and perhaps too quickly for his liking. First, everyone left for America. Then, Kagami, Midorima and Murasakibara got drafted. Now two of his best friends were dating?

Of course, Aomine was beyond chuffed that everyone was starting to find their footing in life, but he couldn't help feeling a little left behind. He was just there while everyone was moving around him.

The frown must've caught Satsuki's attention because he leaned towards her childhood friend and put a finger on his forehead. "Dai-chan."

That snapped him out of it. He scoffed and gently slapped the hand away. "Don't worry, I was just shocked."

"Fine," She smiled a smile filled with mischief. "Drink some more, then."

"Hah! You just wanna loosen me up. Sorry, ain't fallin' for it."

They both laughed and spent the rest of the night snacking and lightly drinking to celebrate how Satsuki finally had her prince charming. Another love story completed.

.

Lara Pearson was her name and she was on her holiday. Japan had always been her go-to vacation destination when she wanted a break from the intensity of America. The nature of her job made it impossible for her to not working during off-times, though. Technically speaking, she worked around the clock no matter what part of the globe she was in.

So it was no surprise that she found herself observing every single basketball court that she came across. While naturally, most would be casual players, she still hoped to find some unpolished gem brimming with untapped potential that she could put in the yearly scouting report. So far, nothing that knocked her socks off.

Well, it was difficult finding such players anyway. She had high hopes considering the three men who were recently drafted all came from Japan, but of course, things wouldn't always go her way.

As she sighed her way back to her hotel, someone ran past her so quickly, she could only see a blur of blue that sent a shiver down her spine. Instinctively, she snapped her head back where she was met with a tall, muscular and certainly athletic bluehead running towards the street court she just came back from. They were having a small championship, so maybe this guy was one of the players?

He was built like an absolute champion and ran like one. So, she trailed after him to the place and watched as he threw his duffel bag to the bench and switched with another player on his team.

"There you are, Tsunmine!" The twins slapped the player's back and shoved him to the court.

The blunette rolled his shoulders, cracked his neck and immediately, their opponents looked terrified. Lara wondered why, but she didn't have to wait long before this Tsunmine guy showed her what he was made of. And boy, did he knock the socks out of her.

She stood there, gawking for the next few minutes. Her fingers clenched the metal mesh tightly in awe as the dark-skinned player tore through the court with the ferocity of a wild animal. It was clear as day that not a single person could keep up with his erratic, free movement that screamed 'street basket'. And of course, there were his insane shots he did at an ungodly angle. One hand toss, behind the back, backward leap, you name it, he did it.

Yeah, NBA wouldn't like this type of playstyle very much, considering how much they acclaim good posture and proper techniques, but sometimes a storm needed to be made. This man would certainly create a conversation.

And it wasn't only individual skill alone. This guy's passes were equally brilliant too even though it was at a cost of his speed. However, he seemed to have good control of when to slow down and when to go for it. It was obvious that he trained and trained until he could shift into individual play and team play so seamlessly.

The fierce grin on his lips spoke volume on how much he was enjoying the game. His instinct was unparalleled, it almost looked like he could read every movement his opponents tried to make. Without a doubt, this man was what champions were made of and she was dying to put him in her scouting report. There were not many wildcards like this in the NBA. His playstyle was so unique and unrestricted, he'd definitely hit it big.

Japan sure had some stars in this generation, huh?

.

It was an easy game for Aomine's standards. No one could do anything against him, yet unlike all those years ago, that didn't stop him from having fun. His teammates were always there one step behind him and it was honestly fun predicting what kind of stunt they'd pull. Especially Shuuji and Yuuji. Their coordination was through the roof and lately, they got even better.

After the game, some foreigner girl ran up to him and started saying something in English. He'd probably understand if she didn't speak ten words a second with her cheeks flushed like that.

"Haah?" Replied Aomine very eloquently. He then turned towards Jacob and frowned. "What's she on about?"

There was a huge grin on his friend's face as he turned towards her and started talking. Everyone else seemed to understand her perfectly well too which only ticked Aomine off. So, he stood there with his arms crossed, foot tapping impatiently against the ground as the group spoke so passionately, then turned towards him with wide eyes.

"W-what?" That intense collective stare made him flinch.

"Her name is Lara. She watched the game and was very impressed with your performance, so she's asking if she can include you in the scouting report she's writing." Mizuki explained.

"Scout report... so, NBA." The blunette sighed.

"Daiki, this is a great chance!" Cut Jacob excitedly.

Lara walked closer towards Aomine and said in slow English, "It's a shame to not nurture that talent. I heard that you are Taiga's rival, correct?"

"Uh, yeah." He answered awkwardly. He hardly ever used English aside from giving foreigners directions, but he kinda understood the gist of what she was saying.

"Well, this is my card," She handed a white and black, glossy business card that Aomine received and looked at. "I understand that the prospect of being drafted and relocating is intimidating, but I urge you to think about it. That kind of skill is meant for greater things, Daiki."

Aomine stared contemplatively at the card, his heart pounding. This was a great chance, yet... yet he still... somehow, he still didn't want to make the leap. He knew that he eventually would have to get over this stupid anxiety, but haphazardly agreeing to her proposal would be downright reckless. So, he pocketed the name card and scratched his head. "...Yeah, I'll think about it."

"Daiki, she's right. You're capable of so much more than a measly streetball game with an unknown team." Cut Jacob.

"That's right, Tsunmine! As much as we love playing with you, we want you to succeed too. You might be content with everything right now, but what about in ten years? You might regret not taking this chance. Then, it'll be too late."

"I know that..." He muttered. If only he could understand what was stopping him, then he would be able to address it, but alas.

"Well, I'll leave it to you, then. Please let me know as soon as possible when you are ready to take a step forward, Daiki. We will be more than happy to do a closer observation on your playstyle and put it in writing." Pleased with the answer, Lara then bid her farewell with a bow.

"Aomine." Mizuki tapped him on the shoulder.

"Fine, I'll talk about it with Satsuki. Anyway, I'll go cool down now." Because he also had enough of this gnawing negativity that kept chewing him from within as well. The sooner he addressed it, the better.

When no one else was in sight, he grabbed his phone and dialled his childhood friend who picked up within a few rings. If it was Satsuki, then she'd know what to do. She had always been the wiser one.

Besides, Aomine had a feeling that his worries weren't something that he could solve by himself. Who better to turn to than his lifelong friend?

"Satsuki," He muttered lazily. "Do you think I should go to America?"

 _"Huuuuh!?"_ She practically squealed. However, despite that initial excitement, she kept being a voice of reason. _"What prompted that?"_

"I miss Kagami." Aomine sighed while staring at his feet. It wasn't that his interest in basketball stopped at Kagami, because if he really wanted to, he'd go for it regardless of who was in the way. But something else was stopping him. Nerve, perhaps? His monotone life finally getting the better of him? No, it ran deeper than that. "You see, someone... asked if she can include me in her scouting report. For NBA. It should be an easy yes, but... I dunno."

 _"I see,"_ Satsuki smiled softly. _"I know we bother you a lot, but I think you're being smart, Dai-chan. There's no use forcing yourself to go if your heart is not in it. Yes, Kagamin is there and all, and I know you miss him, but..."_ She paused for a moment. _"You're scared, aren't you, Dai-chan?"_

"I..." He pursed his lips. "I guess..."

Satsuki stayed quiet. After all, it wasn't everyday that Aomine admitted to that out loud.

"Three years, Satsuki. Time passes, people change. What if... he doesn't need me anymore?" He leaned against a tree and looked up at the sky. "No. He never needed me, to begin with. But me? Without him, I... I don't know where I'd be."

Because the few years they spent together, Aomine never once did anything for Kagami. It was always his rival that took care of him and loved him.

"All I can give him is basket, but now he has so many people he can choose from. So my existence will just be redundant. What's the point of me being there if I can't play with my rival?"

 _"You're not giving yourself enough credit, Dai-chan,"_ Replied Satsuki softly. Her voice was gentle yet firm. _"You've done a lot for Kagamin too, you know? He's always so worried about being polite due to cultural difference, but he doesn't need to worry about that with you. I think you were the first and only person Kagamin can truly be at home with. You two always bicker about anything and everything, always telling each other how it is. If there's anyone who won't judge him for his choices, it was you. Sure, you played basket with him, but the most important thing you gave him was companionship."_

"Companionship?" He scoffed. "I was an asshole."

_"And I'm not gonna deny that! Your relationship certainly started on a bad foot, but that's fine. I think if we are all transported back in time, Kagamin wouldn't change a thing."_

Aomine kept staring at the ground and dug a hole using the tip of his right shoe.

_"Kagamin isn't the kind of person who'd throw his friends aside just because he found new ones, you know?"_

He nodded gingerly before taking a deep breath. Speaking with Satsuki gave him a little courage to move in the right direction. He always went on and on about Kagami saving him, but without her, there wouldn't have been enough pieces of his heart for Kagami to put back together. "Thanks, Satsuki."

_"Not a problem! I know that this is a big decision, but—"_

"Not only for this," Said the blunette quietly. "For everything. Thanks."

After a short pause, there was a small choking noise from the other line. _"Dai-chan, stop it! You're—"_ She sniffed. _"You're gonna make me cry!"_

"Hah, not sorry. Anyway, I'll hang up now. See you."

 _"Ughh... see you."_ She said before the line was cut.

He thumbed his phone for a few more lingering seconds before straightening his back and finishing the remainder of his cooldown jog. He didn't get very far, though, because someone stopped him.

"Aomine-kun, right?"

The addressed male glanced back at the stranger. No, wait. Not a stranger. It was a familiar face... but Aomine couldn't really put his finger on who it was. He could've sworn he saw him in some magazines, though. He didn't look pretty enough to be a model, so that couldn't be it.

"I heard your conversation earlier with that scout—" He paused, then shook his head. "No, I've been watching you since Touou, Aomine. I left matter alone because I thought that you'd step into the professional scene sooner or later, but that never came to fruition," He shot a friendly smile. "You're hesitating. May I know why?"

"You and me both." The blunette scoffed, to which the other laughed. "Who're you, another scout or something?"

"Ah, excuse my rudeness. Yanagi from Sun Rockers Shibuya." He passed his team's card.

"Oh," Aomine's eyes widened slightly. This was the _captain_ of Sun Rockers. He didn't follow the Japan basket scene that much. All he knew was that in 2016, the NBL and bj-league merged to form B.League.

"A lot of talented players who can make it big turn down scouting requests too, so I kinda understand where the hesitance is peeking from," He said, taking Aomine's attention. "Going to America might be too big of a change for them, especially at such a young age. Language, culture, people. It'll all be different and it can be daunting. For us international players, there are a lot of factors and risks involved in making such a decision." 

Aomine shifted his eyes thoughtfully from the card to the man speaking. True... He had never been overseas before, let alone move so far away from Japan. His head had always been focused on Kagami, he didn't even think about this.

"And for free-spirited streetballers such as yourself? They can struggle to adapt to the pressure. It's high-intensity. Fast-paced. The rigidity of it all will become a chore very quickly if your heart is not in the right place." He paused. "Isn't that right?"

Aomine let silence stretch on as he pondered over the words that came out of Yanagi's mouth even after he was long gone. Sure, the leap to go there would be the biggest he'd ever taken and some part of him was doubtful that he'd be able to keep up with everyone else whose sole desire was to get better and better. In a way, part of his problem was due to his uncertainty of where he stood. Did he love basket enough to want to pursue it as a lifelong career?

Aomine threw his bag onto the couch and sat on it. The sunset enveloped the living room in a charming shade of orange, illuminating his dark skin as he stared at large window pane. On his lap was his princess, Maru who curled and slept. The presence of the feline alone instilled some degree of peace in him.

NBA was filled with men who expected nothing but 110% from you. There would be no babying, no excuses. Once you were in, that was it. You didn't want to be called a draft bust because you decided that this life wasn't meant for you, after all.

Did he enjoy playing basket? Yes.

Did he love it? Once upon a time when he had Kagami by his side. Now, he wasn't so sure anymore. No one in this world would be able to fill the shoes that Kagami left. Even if he stood with LeBron, Bryant or Jordan, it wouldn't feel the same. Some things just couldn't be compensated with skill alone. Passion. Red hot passion, undying love for basketball was something that he had to possess if he wanted to succeed. Suddenly, he felt a renewed surge of respect for his friends who took the step forward.

And the chances of him being drafted in Miami Heat was minuscule. _If_ he were to get drafted, it'd most likely be on another team full of strangers he didn't know how to play with. Honestly, he didn't know if he'd enjoy that as much. And maybe, that'd be the reason why he'd let everyone down.

His phone vibrated on the couch. On the screen, he saw a text from Kagami. It was a picture of his red Heat jersey with number 15 emblazoned across the back along with the big bold letters K A G A M I spread above it.

With the image, there was a message:

_'10+5 is 15, right? If you're not playing, I'll play enough for the both of us'_

Aomine stared at the message with a big snort. That had to be one of the lamest things ever said by that stupid fucking idiot and that said something. Looked like Kagami noticed that too because he followed it up with a: ' _nevermind that!!!!!!_ '

He put the gadget aside and decided to reply later. In the meantime, he grabbed two items from his pocket. One was Lara's number and the other, Yanagi's. He eyed them both thoughtfully and let it linger on the back of his head for the rest of the night.

.

Time flashed by in the blink of an eye. Satsuki graduated from university with a degree in physical education and she enrolled in Touou as a coach. The school welcomed her with open hands, especially after Harasawa's departure last year. They had been looking for someone to lead the team but it was difficult to find a good fit.

Satsuki had garnered the respect of the other teachers, especially those who kept a close eye on the basketball team. She quickly charmed the players and herded them like they were obedient cattles. Everyone soon realised what kind of an iron-handed ruler she was, though. Her training regiments were extremely effective, albeit cruel and over the top. She pushed everyone as far as she could without them breaking.

Occasionally, Aomine would pop in to watch those rookies going at it. He'd sit next to Satsuki and listen to the calming noise of basketball being dribbled against the polished wooden floor and the squeaking of sneakers to accompany it. Everyone seemed to know who he was, judging by the way they kept staring at Aomine with a starstruck expression.

Of course, who wouldn't remember him? He was one half of the two best alumnus when it came the sport. Their picture holding the national's trophy was displayed proudly in the locker room and Satsuki made sure to show them the video recordings as a study material.

"Aomine-san!" A few boys came rushing at him. "We heard you're joining the Sun Rockers. Is that true?"

"Ahh, that..." He laughed. He put in his notice of resignation a few weeks ago and his chief freaked out, thinking that it was his fault. After an explanation, his colleagues sent him off with a fond farewell and good luck wishes. He even got a card signed by everyone. Honestly, it was flattering.

"Yeah! He's been recruited and will start joining practice next week. If we're lucky, we'll be able to use Dai-chan as a mean to watch professional training!" Satsuki clapped her hands excitedly. Finally. _Finally,_ her precious Dai-chan was willing to take a step forward. 

"Oi!" Aomine rolled his eyes but didn't outright say no. "It's nothing special... dunno why you're making a big deal out of it."

"Of _course_ it's a big deal! This is your pro debut. Maybe it'll even encourage you to go NBA..."

"I told you to not expect anything..." After all, he didn't know what kind of answer he'd get from playing with the team. Maybe it'd just make him decide that he wasn't made for NBA, after all.

"Listen, Dai-chan over here got a few scouting requests, but he turned every single one of them down. Can you believe his audacity?" Satsuki curled her lips into a pout while a barrage of 'woahhh' rang in front of them.

"Get off my ass, Satsuki. Half-assing something just ain't cool. I don't wanna quit halfway because of lack of resolve. Kagami would straight up murder me."

"Kagami-san sure is cool... He's all the way in NBA now." One of them said dreamily while his friends agreed.

"Right!?" Aomine grinned and puffed his chest out proudly like he was the one who received the compliment. "He's the coolest guy I've ever known. But don't tell him I said that. He'll never let me hear the end of it."

"I'm sure Kagamin thinks you're also the coolest guy, Dai-chan. Especially if he looks at you now. You're the coolest version of Dai-chan that ever Dai-chan'd!"

"Nah, you're just exaggerating," The blunette scoffed before he got to his feet and clapped his hands once. "Alright, let's play some games, you runts! 5 on 1. Take me on!" Aomine grabbed a stray ball on the ground and charged straight to the ring with the Touou boys running after him excitedly.

Satsuki watched Aomine scoring point after point with a huge smile on his face. The sight never ceased to warm her heart. It took her back to the Teiko days where everything was _right._ Her eyes stung and she fought back happy tears when her childhood friend started lecturing everyone without a hint of annoyance. Aomine was bright. He shone like a diamond that had been forged through fire even though the said fire was nowhere to be found next to him.

"You're wrong, Dai-chan. The you right now is truly the coolest." She whispered.

.

"What's wrong, Aomine?" A teammate of his asked after he caught the new member staring at his phone for the past two minutes. His wallpaper was Maru, of course. In it, she was nuzzling his fingers and being an all-around best cat ever.

"Oh, nothing." He quickly pocketed the item before taking his training shirt off and spraying deodorant on his sweaty body. He took a seat and massaged his calves to soothe them after another gruelling training session. It had only been a few months since he last joined one of Japan's professional basketball teams, but damn, the effect of all those training was starting to show. His muscles were prominent now and his endurance improved. After highschool, he slacked a little at the cardio department, after all.

"You're not a good liar, but sure," His friend laughed. "How are you finding the team so far?"

"Awful but in a good way," Both of them snorted at that. They all could see how much Aomine was struggling with the daily workload, but that was only natural since he was still rather new. Adjustment could take a while. "Can't wait to play a proper game, though."

"You'll make it into the first string, for sure. You're doing real well, man." And that was the truth. Most members thought that Yanagi's decision to recruit Aomine was the right one. Just like the captain, some of the players here were aware of this so-called Generation of Miracles and even went to a couple of games back then. Sometimes, it was nice to watch what the younger generations were capable of and they certainly didn't disappoint. They recalled that the school Aomine was in won the nationals and one person from there, Kagami Taiga, even made it to NBA.

And speaking of him...

"Any reason why you didn't chase after Taiga?"

"If I get a hundred yen every time someone asks me that, I'd have enough money to fly to America." Aomine replied before taking off his shoes and putting on his normal casual ones. He didn't forget to put on a fresh shirt too.

"See you tomorrow, Aomine." Yanagi waved at the blunette when he reached the door.

Aomine bid goodbye to everyone and started walking home while once again staring at his phone. Kagami had been quiet, it was unnerving and it also ground his gears. Okay, fine. It was almost time for Heat's first playoff and Kagami might be busy slaving away with practice, but surely he could do better than one reply every few days? Fine. Maybe he was just being paranoid and so, _so_ lame.

Talking to Kagami was always fun, though. So to suddenly get the cold shoulder was kinda annoying. They hadn't even played games together lately.

With a grumble, he made his way towards Satsuki's where they promised to watch the Heat's first match of the season. Maybe he'd finally see the reason behind Kagami's sudden disappearance in the form of his performance.

"Ah there you are, sweetie. Your dad is here too and so is everyone else." Satsuki's mother was the one to welcome him.

"Oh?" Aomine peeked into the living room where, sure enough, sat his father. The elder Aomine was quick to notice his son and waved at him. "Aren't you supposed to be at work right now?"

"I took the day off. I wanted to see your best friend in action." He smiled when Aomine sat next to Satsuki.

Aomine exchanged a nod with the 'everyone else' that Kiyoko was referring to. Wakamatsu, Sakurai and Imayoshi were there too. No Susa, of course. That guy moved to Kyoto last year.

" _If_ he gets to play. It's not uncommon for newbies to not see any playtime in the first few seasons," He then turned towards his friend. "How's your boyfriend doing?"

That made her giggle. "Tetsu-kun's been doing great. He's been playing more and more in the UCLA team. Ki-chan sent me a few clips and ah, he looks so good in them... Tetsu-kun sure is the best."

"Sure, sure, maiden in love," Aomine rolled his eyes at the intense swooning. "Have you heard much from Kagami?"

"No... but Tetsu-kun said that he's been really busy lately. It's difficult because _everyone_ is always busy, so they can't really keep track on what others are doing. I thought for sure he'd keep in touch with you, but I guess not?"

The blunette shook his head. "He's been MIA."

"He's just too busy training, probably. You know how fired up he gets." Quipped Wakamatsu whose eyes were fixed on the screen.

"I wonder if he's eating properly..." Sakurai frowned.

"Come on, this is Kagami we're talking about. If anything, he'll probably eat even more..." Imayoshi chuckled which made Aomine break a smile too. Yeah, no way Kagami would skimp on food.

"Have you told him about your team yet, Dai-chan?" Satsuki asked quietly so no one else could hear her.

"I don't wanna make a big deal out of it. It's not like I've decided to stay or anything. If I start running my mouth now, everyone won't let me quit so easily." And more importantly, he didn't want to give Kagami a false hope. He decided that it'd be better to let everyone know _after_ he made a decision. Right now, it was too early to speak.

"But you look like you're enjoying yourself." She smiled.

"It's alright. Everyone's pretty strong, so it's interesting to play with and against them. Anyway, apparently the first match is in three months or something. Hopefully, I get to play." He reached to the bowl of snacks sitting on the coffee table.

_"...Lowe's wrist injuries might mean that we won't be seeing much of him this match. What a shame, considering that it's the first match of the season and their star player just have to sit out. I suppose now we will see how far the Heat can take this without him."_

_"This year, they drafted Taiga Kagami from UCLA. Let's talk about his records playing in the university team. An astonishing 89% free throw percentage,_ _11.5 rebounds, 21.3 points and 4.2 blocks per game. Now, if you ask me, that is some insane score for a rookie of twenty-one years old."_

_"Taiga Kagami. six foot four and 197 pounds. Let's see if the Heat will put their fresh talent on the court today."_

Aomine whistled. "Damn, he's put on some muscles." A shot of Kagami on the bench wearing his stupid, sappy-ass number 15 jersey made itself visible. The sight of his friend brought a smile on his lips. Kagami had grown a few centimetres and his definitely grew some shoulder muscles and biceps. His fringe was slightly shorter so they no longer reached his eyes, but the dual-red remained on his spikes. In short, he looked _damn_ fine and Aomine couldn't wait to see what lied in store.


	23. Chasing After You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~ I'm here with another chapter ;D Hope you enjoy it!

_Swoosh._

The orange rubber ball pumped full of air seamlessly entered the ring and bounced against the hard ground. The indoor court was mostly empty, though the light was still on. The distant chattering of players could still be heard, but there was only one person in the field plus another sitting on the bench.

_Swoosh._

Another perfect basket that deserved a whistle or two. It was strange to see a perfect posture from the usually playful ex-streetballer, though. While it didn't look strained, it certainly warranted a one-over.

"It's getting late, Aomine." Said a dark-haired male, the captain of Sun Rockers, Yanagi. When there was no response but another satisfying _swoosh_ , he chuckled. "Did Kagami's play rile you up that much?"

The twitch on Aomine's shoulder meant he hit a bull's eye. When the ball rolled towards him, he picked it up and stared at it.

"Well, I can't blame you. He put on quite a show."

"No," The bluehead objected almost immediately before he threw the ball with one hand. It hit the backboard and went in. "That wasn't even half of what he's capable of. I'm _pissed_. Kagami, he..." Aomine frowned. "His fire wasn't bright."

"Fire?"

"Ugh. Nothing. I'm just annoyed is all. Sure, he impressed a lot of people, considering it was his first game, but I _know_ he can do much better. To see him half-assing his plays like that is just unlike him."

"Hm... yeah, you two were quite the dynamic duo back then. Double aces," Yanagi hummed with a small smirk. They were a big talking point among the members at that time. "So, what is he actually like, then?"

"He's bright!" Repeated Aomine in that cryptic fashion. "He's like... the candle that burns when all the light dies. Red hot passion that makes you wanna do better. He's the type of person who inspires others to outdo themselves, no matter how hopeless they might be—" He snapped his mouth shut as soon as he realised he was rambling. There were no take-backsies, though, so Aomine stayed quiet after that.

Yanagi clearly wasn't expecting such speech, so he stood there with a surprised look. Aomine usually kept to himself, the type of person who was rather difficult to get close to because of how he'd retract whenever someone tried to get in his space. "So you can make that kind of expression too."

"Huh?" Aomine slowly turned to face his captain who smiled with amusement.

"You're always so guarded all the time, I didn't think you can get so passionate and defensive over someone. This Kagami must be special."

"I'm not guarded..." He sighed. That was a lie and he knew it. "I'm just not good around people. If I'm not careful, I'll offend them because of... well, my attitude," He was trying to change one day at a time in hope that one day, he'd meet Kagami again and the redhead would say how proud he was that Aomine was all mature and mild. "Kagami found me at my worst and he helped me up. I can never thank him enough. The only reason I'm still playing basketball is because of him."

Yanagi might not know Aomine for long, but he had a feeling that this topic really hit close to home. Especially seeing how vulnerable and genuinely concerned he looked right now.

"Ugh, sorry. I didn't mean to gush. I'll go home now." He was just too frustrated, he ended up saying more than he should've, to a stranger to boot. Well, Yanagi wasn't exactly a stranger, but they weren't particularly close either. In a rush of speed, Aomine grabbed his towel and water bottle, then quickly disappeared.

For a few seconds, Yanagi only watched as the rookie made his exit. Then, he shook his head with a fond smile. "I really don't understand you, Aomine. Just go to him if you're really that invested... sheesh."

"You're just finishing, Aomine?" Another player who was apparently the last in the locker room quirked his eyebrows. "That's new. Usually you're the first one out." He laughed.

"Got some extra steam I wanted to let out."

"Is that why you were more relentless than ever? I hope you've got that steam before our match." Joked the guy before he waved and left the room.

In the end, Aomine was left all alone. With a deep breath, he took off all his clothes and went into the bathroom to dump cool water over himself so he could calm down a little. His phone sat on the nearby bench and he constantly glanced at it. There had been no words from Kagami for five whole days and it was starting to get to him.

Thank god for the much-needed shower, though. He was squeaky clean by the time he walked out of the stall. With a towel draped over his head and still fully naked, he threw himself onto the bench, put earphones on and viewed a replay of yesterday's game. This was probably the fourth time he rewatched it.

_"...Misses his three. Rebound—and there's number 15 with another one! A fast break right into Porter's hands. Two points for the Heat."_

_"His verticality has got to be one of the highest in NBA history. None of the other players can even react to that."_

Aomine glared down at the replay of Kagami high-fiving his teammates from the hip. With a click of the tongue, he turned the screen off and ripped his earbuds out of his ears.

Bullshit. That wasn't even a good jump. Something was severely wrong with Kagami. His play was too contained like he retracted his claws. Sure, he did a lot to switch the momentum in the total of six minutes that he played, but that guy just wasn't Kagami.

"You didn't get any sleep, did you, stupid?" He glowered at the memory of Kagami's image before a loud ding made him almost drop his phone. "What the hell, Tetsu?"

_"That's not a way to greet an old friend, Aomine-kun. I'm hurt."_

"You almost gave me a heart attack. Isn't it like, 7 in the morning over there? Why are you awake, loverboy?"

 _"Early bird gets the worm,"_ He said flatly. _"Did you watch Kagami-kun's match?"_

"Unfortunately. What the hell's up with him? Come on, he must've told you _something_."

Kuroko was quiet for a few seconds but he spoke up before Aomine could continue. _"Well, Kagami-kun moved to Miami shortly after his drafting. Midorima-kun to Boston and Murasakibara-kun to Toronto. It's extremely difficult to keep up with everyone at the moment. Last time I saw him, he was doing okay. Although..."_

"What?"

 _"I think he's beating himself up over something,"_ Kuroko sighed. _"Aomine-kun, let me tell you this. Kagami-kun is still not over you. Not by a long shot. If anyone can find out what's going on, it's you."_

"...Uh," Aomine paused momentarily to process that information. That didn't sound good. Of course, he was flattered and lowkey happy that Kagami still wanted him, but at the same time, wouldn't it be unhealthy to hold on to that feeling for so long? "How do you propose I do that? That asshole isn't replying to me. He left me on read for five whole days!"

 _"I see..."_ He mulled. _"Well, I suppose all we can do is wait now. Perhaps you can try speaking to Himuro-kun or Alex-san? If they have no information, then I doubt anyone else will. I'll message you their contact details."_

"Appreciate it," After a short pause, he grunted again. "It's just unlike him, y'know? He was so... caged."

_"I believe it's a mix of different factors. It might be nerve, considering it is his debut game, after all. And unlike in high school, he only has a few minutes to prove himself so he might not want to be too reckless."_

"Or maybe he didn't get a wink of sleep. That guy has a bad habit of staying awake before a match. Did you see his eyebags?"

 _"Yes, that was my second hypothesis. I still worry over him, nonetheless."_ They both fell quiet. _"Well, I'll leave it to you, Aomine-kun. Until next time."_

He was once again left to his own devices with Himuro's LINE contact detail flashing on his screen.

Kagami still wasn't over him. Kagami still loved him.

Aomine seriously didn't know what to do with that information. He was happy to hear it, as selfish as it might be. There was some comfort in knowing that he wasn't the only one who had trouble moving on.

He still had excess steam left in him, so he quickly got dressed up and left the Sun Rockers' practice ground. His destination was the red light district, Roppongi. A one-night-stand was in order to snap him out of it.

It wasn't hard to find a hookup considering his looks, height and build. Even though it was only this year that he started coming there, he was becoming somewhat of a known face. After all, there weren't many Japanese his height. Oh, and of course. His Sun Rockers jacket and duffel bag. He'd walk through the street and a few ladies and men would look his way with their interested eyes. Today was the same as usual.

Aomine had his hands inside his jacket pocket as he navigated through the crowd to find someone who interested him. It didn't take him long to snatch a pretty brunette babe and together, they made their way to the nearest love hotel. Honestly, he didn't remember her name. All he knew was that she was into anal and anal sex was just what he needed.

She was feisty. Uncontrollable and passionate in bed. She was quick to take off her shirt and expose her bouncy breasts that Aomine latched on to. Usually, that'd be enough to drive him crazy. He'd get lost in the moment and he'd fuck his partner in all the right ways. However, today was insistent on fucking with him.

Instead of savouring the feel of tight walls clenching around his cock, he imagined. He thought of someone else underneath him. Taut muscles writhing and rolling, masculine yet seductive moans filling the air, coarse hair that his fingers would dig through—

"Taiga..."

It was followed with a hard slap on the face. The brunette grabbed her clothes and left the room _very_ quickly, leaving Aomine there with his raging hard on.

Salty that he got denied the sex he wanted, but not apologetic, he sat up on the bed when suddenly, his phone rang. That was the second time he almost had a heart attack.

Without looking at the caller ID, he picked it up and grumbled a very grumpy. "What?"

 _"Uh. Bad timing?"_ Was the voice he so badly wanted to hear.

"No. Well, yeah. Kinda. But no."

The man on the other end laughed. _"Eloquent as usual, Ahomine."_

"Hey, I don't take shit-talk from someone who played like absolute shit yesterday. What the fuck's up with that, Bakagami?" Despite his sharp words, he was grinning from ear-to-ear. Hearing Kagami's voice never ceased to make his day brighter.

 _"Ugh, don't even start,"_ Moaned Kagami. _"They're forcing me to be their defense player just because I can jump. I spent most of the game grabbing rebounds and blocking shots. It's seriously getting under my skin. I don't think it'll get any better either."_

"Blind shits, they are. You don't belong in defense." He resorted to lie down on the bed and relax because damn, that voice was so nice even if it was tinged with edge.

 _"Right!? I mean, it's not that I'm unhappy... it's just not satisfying, you get me? I can't even let loose on the court because they think it'll make my defense performance go down'. I can't wait until I can prove to them that my offense is way better."_ Kagami groaned. 

"Offense players can play defensively too. You blocked so many shots during high school. I thought NBA players are pretty flexible, so I don't get why they're forcing one role on you."

 _"I guess not this team. Or this particular coach, for that matters. Maybe they just desperately need a defense specialist, since they let so many points slip them by last year. Anyway, it's not too bad, but just a pet peeve,"_ Even without looking at Kagami, Aomine could picture the redhead scratching his head in frustration. _"And uhh, sorry for dropping off like that. It's been... tough."_

"Practice?" Aomine asked stupidly.

There was momentary silence that almost made him think that maybe that wasn't the reason, but Kagami quickly spoke up. _"Yeah. Practice."_

"Kagami, you know you can talk to me if you're having issues, right? I mean, yeah, you have Tetsu and Himuro and they're better at this mushy shit, but... it's the thought that counts I guess."

 _"Dunno if anyone's told you this yet, but you're a big sap now."_ Teased Kagami with a chuckle that made Aomine snort.

"A million times. It's seriously making me consider being an asshole again just to shut 'em up."

 _"Hah! Asshole or not, I still—"_ He stopped. _"You're still my friend."_

Aomine nodded. And even though he noticed the close call, he said nothing about it. "Yeah. I know."

_"Gotta boost now. Captain's here. Hey, I'll talk to you later, okay? You still owe me a rematch of SSB."_

"Sure, sure. Don't do anything I won't do." He hummed in a singsong tone.

_"That's saying very little."_

"Fuck off, idiot. Try not to die out there."

_"Same to you, stupid."_

Aomine felt like that friendly insult session could last forever, so he was glad that Kagami hung up immediately after that. Throwing his hand onto the bed, he let his phone fly off it too right into the mattress. There was an immovable smile on his lips now that made him look stupid. Aomine took a deep breath, jerked up and grabbed his clothes off the floor.

If his feelings towards Kagami still hadn't changed now, it probably wouldn't any time soon. The next time they met, maybe he'd finally tell him that. Now that he felt like he found his footing in life, maybe it'd be nice to settle with someone. And Aomine wouldn't have any other person aside from his Bakagami. Absence makes the heart grow fonder indeed. Like hell he'd let someone else tap his Kagami.

Once he finished dressing himself, he made sure he had all his belongings with him and he left straight towards the bar. Just a few swigs would be nice to calm his beating heart.

.

There was nothing notable in Satsuki's bedroom. The wall was beige, the floor covered in glazed wooden planks and everything was where they were supposed to be. She always made sure to clean it every few days to make sure there was no dust buildup.

Currently, she sat in front of her laptop with a huge smile on her face. Anyone who peeked over her shoulder would know because currently, she was talking to her prince charming. The one and only Kuroko Tetsuya.

"That is such a Ki-chan thing to do! I can't believe no one told him off to pull such a stunt."

"Yes, although I could tell that a few seniors were about to smack him on the back of the head. If Kasamatsu-kun were here then he'd certainly lay it on Kise-kun. He never did pass up any opportunity to beat him up."

"Nope, and it was always so entertaining to watch!" She giggled. "Ahh, but it's good to hear that everyone's not discouraged after Kagamin, Mukkun and Midorin were drafted. It'll just be about time, so do your best."

Kuroko nodded in response. "We are playing in more games now. I think everyone has their eyes on Kise-kun now, so he'd better watch his attitude on the court. He can be a bit too playful for his own good sometimes."

"He sure has improved, huh? But you too, Tetsu-kun! I know you'll get there eventually," She quickly added. "You're just one of a kind and I bet no one has seen anyone who can do what you do. That's probably why they don't want to take any chances right now. All you have to do is play your hardest and prove to them that you're a super duper amazing player!"

"Thank you, Satsuki. It's encouraging to hear you say that." There was a tired smile on Kuroko's lips that tugged on her heart a little. It must be difficult to be overlooked like that. "I heard Aomine-kun joined Sun Rockers."

"Huh?" She blinked, suddenly snapping out of it. "O-oh, yeah, he did! He's using this chance to see if playing without Kagamin is as fun as it is with him."

"So he'll be joining us soon. If it's Aomine-kun, he'll definitely make it." Was Kuroko's weak smile again. He looked so tired, Satsuki wanted to reach into the screen and hug him.

"Tetsu-kun..." She curled her lips. It sucked not being able to touch her own boyfriend. Trying your hardest only for someone else to come along and do it better... that must suck. "I know how it feels like, you know?"

"Eh?"

"Feeling inadequate, I mean. You're doing your best thinking that it'll work out somehow and everything will pay off in the end, but you're standing at the part where you can't see the exit and the entrance is already too far away. Trapped and lost... It's discouraging," As she finished the sentences, Kuroko's eyes widened in realisation, but he didn't interrupt. "But it'll be fine in the end, you know? Some things are just out of our control. All we can do right now is look ahead. If you feel like you're about to break, just reach out for me. Someone. Anyone."

The male gave his girlfriend a soft smile. Yes, Satsuki of all people would know what that felt like. After all, he spent so long by Aomine's side and when he needed it the most, her presence wasn't enough. Instead, the person who saved him was a stranger, not a childhood friend he spent almost his entire life with.

"Dai-chan called me a few weeks ago," Her eyes were glimmering as she looked at Kuroko. "He said thank you," She bit her lower lip in order to stop tears from coming out. "He said thank you for everything." Despite her best attempts, moisture trickled down her cheeks. "I really needed to hear that. I thought that I haven't done anything significant for him... it's always been Kagamin. Kagamin did everything while I," She choked. "I was so powerless. Kagamin single-handedly changed Dai-chan, but I couldn't do anything..."

"You know that's not true, Satsuki. Aomine-kun might be crass, but he loves you. I know that he appreciates everything you've done for him even though he doesn't say it."

"Y-yeah... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cry," She quickly wiped her tears away. It was an emotion she held in for so long and to finally let it burst felt so liberating. "We were talking about you, not me..."

"It's okay," Kuroko smiled. "You did your best, Satsuki. Aomine-kun wouldn't be there for Kagami-kun to heal had you not held him together.

She had no idea how much this had been gnawing on her until today. And who better to have her back if not Kuroko?

The two spent hours talking to and comforting each other that night.

.

Kagami Taiga had become somewhat of a talking point. Along with Midorima and Murasakibara who each had their own stellar performance despite their little playtime, everyone started to turn their eyes towards them. Playoff season was just getting started, yet the award Rookie of the Year was thrown around from lips to lips.

Murasakibara, had seen a few minutes of playtime. Standing at 6'95", he used his wingspan to intimidate his opponents and force them to find another angle to shoot from. However, he was slow most of the time and looked unmotivated which put a damper on his otherwise excellent performance. It would take a while longer before he could be used effectively.

Midorima was quickly becoming a topic of discussion too. Some people still couldn't believe how crazy his three-pointers were. No matter where in the court he shot from, he always made it. People were quick to create video compilations of _Shintarou's Craziest Shots_ and said that he probably deserved that Rookie of the Year award. However, some argued that since the other aspects of his basket were nothing to write home about, he didn't.

Kagami was used as an effective defensive player who showed restraint and let his teammates shine. He focused on getting the rebounds and blocking shots, and that helped his team to gain even steadier foundation across all games. His steals were becoming more common too, considering how agile he was considering his size. Not only that, he could score reliably when time called for it. He was an amazing all-rounder that started gaining traction. At 18th overall pick, no one could deny that Kagami was going to be a draft steal.

No one knew that he was about to be even better. After all, they weren't aware of the missing Panther next to him.

.

Sun Rockers Shibuya that year was explosive.

They trampled one competition after another in such a convincing fashion, it captured the attention of everyone who was remotely interested in basketball. Their core members were unchanged and they'd constantly rotate players in and out of bench to make sure everyone remained invigorated. Sure, everyone improved in their own ways, but the same could be said about the rivals.

Last year's champion, Tokyo Cinq Rêves put on an intimidating display of strength too, but they paled in comparison to the boys in black and yellow. Not only were their defenses top notch as usual, their offense had improved tremendously thanks to a rookie they recruited. It was a familiar name for avid highschool basketball fans, but a new one for everyone else.

The name Aomine Daiki became a conversation piece that persisted for months. He made an appearance in sports magazine covers, articles and even some foreign news started to religiously follow this promising new talent.

_"Another formless throw by number 23! There is truly no one way to stop this man. He can shoot from any angle anywhere and that unpredictability is such a deadly weapon. And Aomine? He knows how to wield it right."_

Wakamatsu cracked an ear-to-ear grin as he watched the live game with his university friends on his phone. Everyone stared at the screen in awe as Aomine tore through the court like a wild beast.

_"He used to play for Touou with Kagami Taiga who is currently playing for the NBA. He was drafted almost two years ago along with Midorima Shintarou and Murasakibara Atsushi. From what we've heard, Himuro Tatsuya and Kise Ryouta are the prime candidate for this year's drafting."_

Imayoshi and Sakurai glanced at the TV nestled near the cafetaria with a smile on their faces. On their hands were trays full of nutritious food that they set down on an empty table. It was a good spot in a way that they could see the screen.

_"But Aomine, yet again with another otherworldly manoeuvre! He broke past defenders like they're nothing!"_

"Hell yeah!" Shuuji and Yuuji pumped their fists when the ball went into the hoop smoothly. With them were Mizuki, Jacob and his little ones who kept chanting 'Dai-nii!' like their lives depended on it.

_"A fake, a jump—a fadeaway!"_

"That's your ex-boyfriend?" A college student asked. His arm was wrapped around a raven-haired female whom Aomine once dated.

"Mmhm. One month into the relationship and I realised that he was madly in love with Taiga. They were really cute, so our relationship kinda turned into a love counselling for him," She giggled before landing a kiss on her boyfriend's lips. "He's what you call a sheep in wolf's clothing. A really big sap deep down but he'll die before admitting it. Well, at least back then. Not sure about now."

_"His eighteenth point of the match, folks, and we're only approaching first half!"_

Seeing how pumped up Aomine was as he high-fived his teammates made Satsuki's eyes sting. She sat on the couch between her parents while trying hard to not cry. Kojiro and Kiyoko rubbed their daughter's hair soothingly even though they were just as proud to see Aomine's full recovery. He was brimming with energy and he looked like he was having the time of his life on the court.

"Dai-chan... you're so cool." Satsuki grinned. There were no words to describe how truly ecstatic she was. Just six years ago, she thought that nothing could pull him out of his low. However, their worlds were turned upside down in a span of a few months. Now, the old Aomine was back. He went through hell, so naturally, he'd emerge stronger than ever. And this man laughing with his fellow basketball players was more than Satsuki could ever hope for.

" _Aomine Daiki is unstoppable!"_

.
    
    
    DAIKI AOMINE               Athleticism, Ballhandling, Hustle, Interior Scoring
    Bigs, Tokyo
    
    Age: 22.9                    PTS       REB        FT%         EFG%
    Wingspan: 6'8"               24.3      4.9        91.0        81.2
    Height: 6'5"
    Weight: 202
    
    Offensive powerhouse with excellent handling and exceptional ability to make unpredictable shots.
    
    **SHADES OF:** Stephen Curry, Allen Iverson
    
    **PLUSES**
    ------
    Handles the ball like a wing. He has a quick first step with an arsenal of moves to rip past defenders with fakes and pivots to get to the rim.
    
    Elite shooter with a wide variety of unorthodox scoring methods. His volatility makes it almost impossible to predict the angle in which he will shoot from.
    
    Accurate passes that will land right into his target's hands.
    
    Dynamic shot-maker off the dribble; he fluidly transitions from complex dribbles, spins, and hesitations into pull-ups, stepbacks, and side steps.
    
    Fast dribbler who is aware of his surroundings. He can take advantage of split-second weakness in defense to bypass them.
    
    **MINUSES**
    ------
    Inconsistent effort. At times he displays dedication by saving balls going out-of-bounds but other times, he stays motionless.
    
    Not a natural team player. He has a tendency of hogging the ball when tension ramps up.
    
    Speed decreases significantly during his 'pass-mode'. Teams might want to address this issue.
    
    Playfulness on full display. He likes to make a show and taunt his opponents which promotes toxic behaviour and negative rivalries.
    
    
    .  
    
      
    
    20XX Mock Draft
    
    **#    Team        Player            H        W        P        School**
    1    Minnesota   Daiki Aomine      6-5      202      PF       Tokyo 
    .
    .
    4.   Golden St.  Ryouta Kise       6-2      181      SF       California     
    .              
    6.   Toronto     Tatsuya Himuro    6-1      180      SG       California

.

"I'm home."

"Daiki!" Kazuhiro's eyes brightened when he heard his son kicking off his shoes and sauntering into the living room equipped with his Sun Rockers duffel bag.

The enthusiasm took the blunette by surprise because he quickly drew back. "What?"

His father approached him and handed him his phone which displayed a picture of him on it. "Scouting report. You're first in the mock draft."

"Hm." Was his only response as he skimmed through his personal data thoughtfully.

"Come on, you can afford to be more excited than that. I told all my colleagues about you earlier and even though they don't follow NBA, they gave me more reaction than a 'hm'." Kazuhiro shook his head at his son's indifference.

"Mock drafts don't mean shit. Besides, I knew I was gonna do well anyway." He shrugged before entering his room and unpacking his dirty clothes to be put in the laundry bin.

"Yeah, yeah," The elder turned the screen off and leaned against the wall directly opposite of his son's room. "You're really talented, Daiki. I regret not watching your progress sooner."

Aomine was glad that he had his back turned towards his dad because his face embarrassingly heated up at the compliment. Despite having spent the last four-five years in peace with his dad, it still never ceased to fluster him to hear nice things. "It's not really a big deal..."

"What are you talking about? It _is_ ," Kazuhiro uncrossed his arms and looked away. "Yoko would've been so proud of you."

The mention of his mother made him pause. A few seconds later, he stood up with dirty clothes in his hands. His eyes now stared right into his father's who tried his best to not look away. "Why did you do it?" This topic still hurt, as expected. Time had done nothing to close the wound. It didn't help that both men tiptoed around the subject.

Kazuhiro walked towards the dining table and pulled a chair, then motioned at Aomine to sit with him. With a grumble, he dropped his used jersey and obliged.

"It was an arranged marriage. It happened so quickly, only in a span of four weeks after we met, we walked up the aisle. We were very young back then," He scratched his head. "And when you're young, you do stupid things. Shortly after we had you, I... suppose, I swayed. I cared about her but I didn't love her."

"And you cheated on her."

"Yeah," He sighed. "I did. I know that my explanation doesn't excuse what I did, but I honestly did not know that it affected Yoko so badly. After all, we never discussed it even though I suspected that she knew."

" _I_ knew," Aomine muttered bitterly. "But I didn't say anything because I thought you'd stop."

"I can't apologise enough, Daiki. I understand why you're so upset at me and I'd understand if you can't forgive me for what I did. You were so close to her and I took that away."

"What you did was disgusting," The younger said, voice shaky both because of anger and deep-rooted sorrow. "But you're still my dad."

Kazuhiro's eyes widened.

"I can't—" Aomine took a deep breath. "I can't hate you." How could he truly hate someone who regretted his action? Even now, Kazuhiro tried his best to mend that bridge and reach out to him. During the days he felt awful because Kagami left, his father was the one who helped him. He even made an effort to always come home on time and spend some quality time together. While he would never be able to forget what Kazuhiro started, he wasn't so heartless as to not give someone a second chance.

"Daiki..." He mouthed in disbelief.

With a scoff that was meant to snap himself out of it, Aomine shot to his feet. Another chain had been broken and now, he felt like he could fly. All his life, he thought he would never be able to spread his wings, but funny how life constantly tried to prove him wrong.

"How busy will you be this coming October?"

It took a few seconds for Kazuhiro to digest his son's question. "Our biggest project is finishing in a few weeks, so things should cool down by then. Why?"

Aomine took a deep breath and turned away. "Drafting begins late October. Come with me to America."

Kazuhiro's eyes widened as he continued staring at his son's back. Emotions came rushing in and he was in a state of incredulity. "...Of course, Daiki. I'll definitely come."

And Aomine didn't show it, but he was smiling.


	24. Back to The Start Line

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hii!! This chapter is finally the moment I'll pick up the pace. Sorry for the slow past few chapters, but it was necessary to prepare for the mayhem to come!
> 
> As usual, comments and kudos are always appreciated! <3

It was Aomine's first flight, so naturally, he was kinda nervous. Not to mention Satsuki who had been fussing with Kazuhiro about check-ins and souvenirs and passports and boarding passes. The words that came out of their mouths were like an alien language. At some point, he stopped worrying over the details and instead, threw his head back and let the pair handle everything. 

_'oi you'll be there right?'_ Aomine texted Kagami.

_'I'll be there for the drafting session, yeah. Kinda tangled up in some practice bullshit I can't get away from at the moment... coach's a slave driver.'_

Aomine frowned, trying hard to not let his disappointment show. He kinda wanted to see Kagami the moment he got there, but it couldn't be helped that the guy was busy. He didn't even live in LA where the drafting for the year was supposed to take place. Miami to LA wasn't exactly walking distance either.

_'you get to live near the beach huh'_

_'Yeah. Too bad I don't have time to surf much._

_Any team you wanna get into?'_

Aomine mulled over it for a moment but of course, his reply was quite swift. _'do u really have to ask??'_ Even after close to a year he spent with Sun Rockers, he still hadn't found anyone like Kagami.

The speech bubble along with the text _Bakagami is typing_ on the screen came and go. For a whole minute, there was no reply and Aomine wondered what the hell was taking his friend so long to reply. Was he just flustered or was he gonna come up with three-paragraphs response explaining his feelings?

_'You still want to play with me?'_

That reply brought a frown that Aomine thought he had long since forgotten how to do. He typed up a _'yeah dumbass'_ but then erased it before he could send it. Aomine glanced up at Satsuki and Kazuhiro who were still busy checking through their bags to make sure everything was accounted for, then he pressed a button on his phone.

"Oi, you dumbass! What're you talking 'bout now?"

 _"Geez, no need to yell! I thought I was gonna go deaf."_ Kagami growled in distaste but there was no bite to his words.

"Did five years in America made you lose your brain cells or something!?"

"C _alm down, stupid. It's just been so long, I thought—"_ Kagami took a deep breath and sighed. _"Anyway, I'm still annoyed you didn't tell me you signed up for B.League. I had to find out from Kise? Really?"_

It was true that Kagami only discovered about his professional career a few months ago. Obviously he hadn't been keeping up with the latest news with basketball in Japan and media coverage overseas must've been minimal too. The redhead's reaction was kinda priceless in the way he screamed out a million questions in a row: "When? How? With who? Are they cool? Why didn't you tell me? Are you coming to the NBA? Wait, you are. You're first in the mock draft!? Aho, what the fuck? Why didn't you tell me, I thought we were friends? Did you think I was too busy or something?"

That was seriously all in one sentence, Aomine thought he was talking to Satsuki. He tried to calm Kagami down but to no avail. Instead, he kept going on and on about how cool it was that he was the first overall pick in the test-draft.

"It's because I took my time playing in a professional team, Bakagami. You only played for UCLA for like what, six months tops? You should feel lucky you even got drafted with that little playtime." Aomine had said, but that was a couple of months ago.

"Well, I had my reason for not telling you," The blunette shrugged, his voice nonchalant. When he heard nothing but a grumble, he rolled his eyes. "If I told you and then I ended up backing out, you would've killed me."

 _"I—"_ He stopped. _"Yeah. I guess I would've."_

"See? Anyway, what matters is I'll be there now. Hopefully, Heat picks me up so we can play together again like the old days."

Kagami didn't reply.

With a frown, Aomine looked at the screen of his phone to make sure Kagami hadn't disconnected. Then, he put it back against his ear. "You there?"

_"Ah... y-yeah. Yeah, I am. Sorry, I was just... uh, still surprised, I guess. It'll be nice to play with you again."_

"Is everything okay, Kagami? You sound weird."

 _"I'm fine. I told you I was just shocked. I mean, it's been five years and I thought you'll never go pro, so..."_ He mumbled. _"What about Maru? Are you taking her?"_

"'Course! I'll never leave my little princess behind." Aomine instantly answered, a bit annoyed that he couldn't bring her with him in the passenger's area. The cute Toyger was all grown up now but was still as spoiled as ever.

"Dai-chan! Come on, let's go to the gate now." Satsuki waved at him in the distance.

"Gotta go. See you when I see you." He said to Kagami before hanging up. The redhead's attitude was still gnawing on him. In fact, this had lasted for a good few months but the man insisted that nothing was wrong. So far, Aomine brushed it off as Kagami being tired because of training, but deep down, he knew that that wasn't it. He even asked Himuro and Alex about it but both of them had been nothing short of cryptic.

It was the little things. Mostly the way Kagami would constantly fall silent as if double-thinking what to say next. Usually, he would just run his mouth not caring if he said anything wrong. So, that change was weird. Maybe Aomine should chalk it up as Kagami trying to change himself even though he didn't really need to. Did his loud mouth get him in trouble in his team, maybe?

And of course, his tendency to go MIA for days on end. It was frustrating as hell but there wasn't really much Aomine could do about it, not when they were so far apart. Now that he was about to close the distance, he still wasn't sure if Kagami's attitude would change. At some point, Aomine surmised that the redhead found someone else he got along with better than him and that was why he dropped off. However, after thinking about it some more, that didn't really seem like the case... As Satsuki said, Kagami wasn't the type to forget his friends because he got new ones.

So why?

His pout must've been obvious because Satsuki elbowed him once they boarded the plane.

"Dai-chan, stop sulking. Whatever you think Kagamin is doing, he probably hasn't done it."

"What are you, psychic!? I didn't think shit!" He crossed his arms and huffed. Why did everyone think that Kagami could do no wrong anyway? Well, okay. Maybe it was kinda justified considering Aomine hadn't been the sharpest tool in the shed. But still.

"You two are still on talking terms, right?" Kazuhiro inquired.

"It'll just be time before we drift apart at this rate. I doubt me going to America is gonna change that," He stuck out his bottom lip. The call with his highschool friend lifted his mood but dropped it again right after. "It's not like I'm going for him... so it doesn't really matter."

Instead of comforting him, Satsuki giggled. "Dai-chan... you've grown up so much but when it comes to Kagamin, you're still a kid. Look at you lying to yourself."

"Sheesh!" He scooted further from his childhood friend and towards the window. "I just feel like I'm the only one trying. It's not fair..."

Hearing that, the pinkette stopped giggling and instead, she smiled. Even after all these years, she knew that Aomine still wasn't over his first love. "Well, you can ask him in person when you two meet. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding."

"Are you _really_ sure?" Aomine's voice came out muffled because his lips were resting on his palm.

Satsuki's smile faltered. The short answer was no. Kuroko already told her that Kagami had been distant lately and he kept contact with everyone at a minimum which was strange because not even Himuro had heard much from the redhead. "No use sweating it now, Dai-chan. Let's just face what's ahead, okay?"

"I know, I know..."

"You really like him, don't you, Daiki?" His father interrupted. It was only replied with a grumpy 'mm'. "I think he's a good kid."

"He is." Muttered Aomine even though he wasn't sure where this conversation was coming from. As far as he was concerned, his father and Kagami hadn't had much interaction together unless they met behind his back at some point.

"I can't wait to see you two playing again. I still remember those matches back in highschool. I didn't know basket can get so intense," He hummed while Aomine remained silent. "So Satsuki, how will Daiki's visa work?"

"Hmm, from my understanding, once he gets drafted, the team will act as a sponsor. They'll handle everything else after the contract has been signed. And I have no doubt Dai-chan will get picked up! He's been a hot topic even outside Japan, you know? As expected of number one expected pick!"

"It's not really that big of a deal..." Aomine said even though he was kinda happy with himself too. Idly, he picked up the airplane-issue magazine on the back of the seat in front of him. On the cover was a huge picture of him that made him cringe a bit.

"Mama!" The boy sitting on the next set of seats to them exclaimed. "That's Aomine Daiki!"

Instantly, everyone looked his way and Aomine buried his face in the open magazine that didn't help his case.

_"Seriously? That Aomine Daiki?"_

_"Where? Oh my god, it_ is _him!"_

_"Hey, isn't he even sexier in person?"_

_"I bet he's going for the drafting. He's the first expected pick, y'know! Who was the last Asian to achieve that? Yao Ming?"_

_"Should we ask for his signature?"_

"Kill me." Aomine groaned as he sunk on his seat. The passengers around them started taking photos in which Satsuki only posed for instead of stopping.

"Aw, come on, Dai-chan. I never pegged you as the shy type..." Satsuki hummed teasingly while poking the blunette's cheek.

_"That's his girlfriend, right? She's gorgeous..."_

_"Athletes really are on a different level, huh?"_

"Permission to punch the next fucker who says we're dating?"

"Denied." Answered Satsuki immediately.

And so, the rest of the flight there which was an agonising too-long hour, Aomine was constantly approached by strangers who asked if they could take photos of him. The blunette only grumbled in response and let them do whatever they wanted. This is why he didn't want to get scouted. He knew the hassle that followed would be exceedingly annoying.

But he had to admit, joining Sun Rockers was a good decision. Not only did it help him to reaffirm his love for basketball, it exposed him to different kinds of professional players too. It was tricky to get accustomed to working with them but after a few official games, Aomine understood the gist of it. Playing in the NBA would probably be similar. Probably.

.

Los Angeles airport had always seen its fair share of people and today was no exception. With everyone frantically running around looking for their loved ones, Kuroko, Kise and Akashi waited for their friends near the departure gate. The poor phantom sixth man kept getting bumped into because no one could see him. Kise and Akashi had kindly offered to walk in front of him to shield him only for him to be carried away by the opposing current to the other side of the airport.

"Just stay on my shoulder, Kurokocchi! I feel sorry for you. What if you get stepped on?" Kise dramatically wailed as he tugged on his friend's sleeves. The visible pair decided that they'd walk with Kuroko sandwiched between them. That way, they wouldn't have to tie a red helium balloon on his ankle.

"Please refrain from speaking in such a condescending manner." Remarked Kuroko flatly with the threat of his hand that got Kise muttering 'alright, alright!'

"Finally Aomine will be joining us." Said Akashi with a smile as he spotted the trio they were looking for emerging out of the gate.

"Tetsu-kuuuun!" Satsuki was the first to run towards them and immediately, she smushed Kuroko's face in her tits. "Tetsu-kun! We finally meet! Ah, I've looked forward to this day my entire life..." She sighed just as dramatically as Kise would while she cradled her boyfriend tightly.

"Good to see you too, Satsuki," He then peeked behind the girl's shoulder to see Aomine grinning at him. "And you, Aomine-kun."

"Yo! Been a while." The blunette nodded at Akashi, ignored Kise and went straight to ruffling Kuroko's hair.

"Aominecchi! You could at least say hi to me. How cruel!"

"We all know how badly humouring you always turns out to be." Ignoring Kise's protests, Aomine greeted his former captain. 

"OMG. Who's the little guy?" Kise asked when he saw a pair of ears emerging out of the collar of Aomine's hoodie. It was followed with an adorable meow as Maru popped outside to get some fresh air. The blond leaned forward in an attempt to pat the cute toyger but Aomine quickly backed away.

"Excuse you! No touching my princess!" The blunette all but cuddled his precious cat who rubbed her nose against her owner's cheek. "Aw..." Aomine's expression melted into one of love as he rubbed his nose with Maru's. "Who's the prettiest little princess in the whole wide world? It's you. It's you."

Maru meowed cheerfully.

"...Yeah," Satsuki looked at the three who stared at Aomine like they'd just seen a ghost. "Maru-chan kept Dai-chan sane after you all left. We all should thank her."

The three talked briefly, not forgetting to say hello to Aomine's father before they loaded the luggage into Akashi's fancy-ass shiny black car that was probably this year's model. This guy changed vehicles like he changed clothes.

Akashi insisted that everyone stayed at his place which apparently had four damn rooms. It was located nicely in Beverly Hills and honestly, Aomine didn't really want to question how much it costed. All he knew was that this was one of his parents' existing properties. The house was practically a mansion and the design was quite contemporary with its flat roof, dark masonry and polished cherry timber. There was a fireplace in the spacious living room where a mini-chandelier hung and it was connected to the maintained backyard pool through four-pane glass door.

Seriously. Akashi's parents probably worked in the money tree growing industry or something.

Since there were only four rooms and seven inhabitants including Himuro who wasn't in the house when they arrived, they had to think of rooming arrangement. It went without saying that Satsuki refused to let go of her beloved and Akashi claimed a room for himself. Like hell he'd crash with Kise, so that wasn't an option either. The blunette glanced at his dad half-heartedly before the elder smiled.

"It's okay, you kids enjoy yourselves. I have a friend from work who moved here a few years ago, so I should be able to arrange for a couple of weeks of accommodation."

Aomine was thankful for that. He didn't really wanna room with his dad. 

"So I suppose you will be with Himuro until further notice?" As if reading the situation already, Akashi queried.

"I guess..." The dark-skinned male scratched the back of his head. Out of everyone, Himuro looked like the best choice. They never really talked much back in the day and the guy could be infuriating with his unreadable smiley-face similar to that of Imayoshi's, but between Kise or him... Yeah. He'd choose Himuro any day.

"I figured as much. Don't worry, I've arranged for a partition so you will have your own space."

"Aominecchi, you really don't like me, do you!?" Kise clung to his friend with his very ineffective puppy dog eyes that Aomine wanted to punch.

"Last time I roomed with you, you wouldn't _shut up._ If you wanna be sleep deprived, then be my guest, but don't drag me into it!" He shrugged the blonde away who only pouted in response.

"But I can't help it... when there's someone else in the room, I have to talk."

"Then I'm saving you from yourself, stupid." The blunette grabbed his bags and dragged them towards the specified room. As promised, there were two king single beds now. Aomine's was near the door while Himuro's, the window. He quickly kicked his stuff for unpacking later, but he did grab the ball near his new roommate's bed.

The blunette sauntered back towards the living room with a skip on his step and then, he spun the rubber ball on his index finger. Then, he let go of it and caught it between his hands with a loud smack. "Let's play?"

"Shouldn't you be resting, Aomine-kun?" 

"I'll rest when I'm dead. You've got a hoop near the pool anyway, right, Akashi?"

"I doubt it's enough space for us to play, but I agree with Kuroko that you need your rest, so that will suffice for now." Answered the former captain before all of them moved to the backyard where the weather was cool and there was enough sunshine for it to be not too chilly.

There was a hoop attached to the extended wall that was a bit too close to the pool due to limited space. The ground around the area was dark wood with no line marking. It was designed only for idle shooting.

Kuroko smiled when he saw Aomine dribbling, running and performing a lay-up with a grin. That sight never ceased to remind him of the early Teiko days where everything was simple. Now, they were all grown up and eagerly awaited the start of their professional career. Soon enough, everyone would scatter into different teams and once more, they'd be able to play against each other.

"Partner up with me, Tetsu."

"Okay." Answered Kuroko cheerfully. Well, as cheerfully as Kuroko could get anyway.

Satsuki walked around the medium-sized pool to the other side where she brushed her mini-skirt back and sat on the corner with her legs dipped in the water. On her lap was Maru who lounged lazily. The four boys wasted no time before they started playing. She knew how much Aomine had improved but the same could be said about the other three. They polished their own weapons and worked on their weaknesses. Any team they'd join in the future would surely be successful.

"Where's Himu-chan?" Satsuki hummed idly.

Akashi landed a perfect two-pointer before he answered. "He's in Toronto at the moment. Won't be back for another few days."

"Aww, he must be with Mukkun." She giggled.

"They should be back for the drafting. He's pretty wanted this time around." Kise wiped sweat off his face using his collar.

That made Aomine stare at the basketball in his hands thoughtfully. From what he read, on number 4 and 6 were Kise and Himuro respectively, but still no Akashi or Kuroko to be found. They _were_ included in the scouting reports, though. "I'm surprised you two aren't on the wanted list."

That made Akashi narrow his eyes. With a soft exhale, he straightened his back. "They're not sure where to place us in the team, from what I've read. They claim that we're too much of a wildcard. No one understands how they'd be able to utilise Kuroko properly and as for me, I suppose the emperor eye isn't something they hear very often."

"They're scared." The dark-skinned male rolled his eyes. "Never pegged the NBA to be such pussies. Too nervous that some Asian rookie's gonna outshine their star players? Seriously."

"Crudely put, Aomine, but not entirely wrong. I believe fear plays an important factor too. After all, Japan international basketball athlete is rather unheard of. And for so many to appear at once?" Akashi replied, disdain painted on his tone.

"It's stupid. Players should be rewarded based on their own merit. If they can hold their own, then no matter how old or where they're from, they should get the same treatment," Aomine sighed before tossing the ball into the hoop. "Well, at least Kise and Himuro are doing well for themselves. You guys just drew the short end of the stick."

"It can't be helped. We'll just have to keep working hard and prove our worth." Kuroko added and soon, all four men started playing again for the next fifteen minutes.

"What a shame that Kagamicchi isn't here." Kise rolled the ball in his palms.

"And I find it amusing that no one believes his claim that he's busy." Answered the shorter redhead with Kuroko nodding next to him.

"He must have a reason for not coming," Aomine shrugged. "Don't sweat it. He said he'll come for the drafting anyway."

"Are you not disappointed, Aomine-kun?" The male with baby blue hair asked.

"I mean, between yes and no, it gotta be a yes." Muttered the tallest. It really sucked not seeing Kagami even after he travelled all the way here, but what could he do? No use lamenting over something he had no control of. Besides, if he started thinking about it, he'd just slide down that rabbit hole that would lead to the conclusion that Kagami was just gonna up and leave the way Aomine's dad did.

Sensing the discomfort, Akashi quickly shifted the topic. "I'm surprised to see you here, Satsuki. Don't you have the Touou kids to take care of?"

"Ahh... that. I asked Harasawa-sensei to help me." She grinned, feet kicking the water back and forth.

"You blackmailed him!" Kise wailed.

"What! I said I asked him for help. My persuasion skill isn't something to be trifled with, you know. Geez, Ki-chan..." She puffed her cheeks out. "Though I did mention about that one time—"

"So it's blackmail." Aomine deadpanned, resulting in Satsuki's heavy protests.

"We should all go to the bar tonight to celebrate your arrival. It's a shame that the rest of us can't make it, but I hope the three of us will suffice." Stated the redhead amidst the chaos.

"What're you talking about? 'Course it's enough. Alright then, I'll get some nap in. Wake me up later, okay? Your shout right, Akashi?"

"Yes."

With that, Aomine and Satsuki hopped back inside the house to take a power nap. It was 4 PM, so hopefully 3-4 hours sleep would be enough.

.

The news always glamorised the night life in Los Angeles. Bright neon lights, busy streets full of gorgeous men and women, bustling shops and of course, the bars. Everywhere they could see, bodies squeezed between other bodies as they tried to go inside one of the many establishments. Loud music vibrated as the four men dressed nicely in tailored suits and a gorgeous pinkette in glimmering red dress stepped out of a limousine.

Eyes immediately fell to them. It didn't help that Kise looked like he just stepped out of a magazine with his pretty boy vibes, Akashi with his elegance for every step he took and Satsuki who had her arms around Kuroko's and Aomine's who looked equally stunning. Everyone wondered what celebrities they were. Or maybe models.

Akashi flashed an ID at the bouncers standing in front of a more expensive-looking establishment and they immediately parted to make way for the small group. No one seemed to complain because they were under the impression that those guys were some important people.

"Wait..." One of them frowned. "Isn't that the Japanese who was first in the mock draft for NBA this year?"

"Where?" A few people immediately tried to take a glance at them. "Oh my god, it is! And he's got that crazy hot chick with him as well. Wait, that's the blond Japanese with them too! Where's the other one?"

"Dai-chan," Satsuki put her fingers over Aomine's fist. "Ignore them. They're just ignorant fools."

"We have names, Satsuki. We're not the fucking _Japanese_."

"You get used to it, Aominecchi. Don't cause dramas here." Kise flung an arm around his friend and hastened their walk inside.

They were immediately greeted with a sight that screamed 'Los Angeles'. Disco ball rolled above them and the neon coloured dance floor constantly blinked. Bodies moved above them. Young men and women too drunk for their own good, messy hair, sweat and fancy clothes. The bar was full of people looking to find a partner for the night.

The group moved past all those with some effort and they walked upstairs towards the VIP room Akashi already reserved. They entered without much trouble. It only had a handful of people chattering lightly and despite it being soundproofed, they could still hear loud bass from the main lounge.

"Here we are. Feel free to order any drinks you like," Akashi lowered himself on the black leather couch and the rest of them followed suit. The redhead put a gold-trimmed card on the desk. "The tab."

Aomine was the first to grab it. "Anything you want, Satsuki?"

"Ah, I'll come with you! Tetsu-kun. Let's go!" She pulled her boyfriend towards the bar and Kuroko allowed himself to be dragged along.

They all quickly read through the drinks menu and told the bartender their desired drinks. As they waited for the beverages to arrive, they sat on the barstool.

It was mostly conversation regarding uni, part-time jobs and basket. Though the whole time, the two lovebirds kept holding hands and it honestly annoyed Aomine. He didn't really need anyone to rub in his face the fact that he was without a partner, thank you.

"But I was really surprised when I saw the news that you joined Sun Rockers, Aomine-kun. I'm hurt you never told me."

"In my defence, I didn't tell anyone either," He said as the trio walked back towards the couch where Akashi and Kise sat. "Honestly, I didn't even expect to enjoy it that much. Everyone was pretty good and it was kinda refreshing."

"That's professionals for you. Of course they'd be able to keep up with you, Aomine-kun."

"Dai-chan spent too much time destroying rookies!" Satsuki giggled as they took a seat.

"I did _not_ ," The male rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I heard that bastard Himuro might be picked up by Raptors. He'll be in the same team as Murasakibara then."

"They will be quite the dynamic duo once more. I think it's a smart move from them. I wonder if they noticed how close Murasakibara is to him?" Akashi nodded.

"I can only imagine so. I mean, the only things that motivate Murasakibara-kun are sweets and Himuro-kun. His performance is great as it is, so it'll be natural that they'd want to replace his aloofness with passion."

Aomine hummed in response as everyone continued discussing the NBA teams. His head wandered to Kagami once more and he wished that the redhead was here. He missed talking one-on-one with his partner and most importantly, playing ball.

Seriously, where was Kagami? It looked like everyone knew that the redhead wasn't really that busy and in fact, was just avoiding them. It really bugged Aomine that Kagami refused to confide in him even though he was genuinely worried. It was no use prying either, he felt like. He just hoped Kagami would eventually come to him when he was ready.

The blunette thumbed his drink before taking another sip. He didn't realise how long he had been silent for if it wasn't for Kise nudging him awake with his annoying voice.

"Aominecchi, are you still tired or something?"

"Ahh, sorry. Toilet." He set down his drink and got to his feet. He didn't even know he finished the alcohol already. With curious stares from everyone else, he quickly exited the VIP room even though there was a perfectly quiet toilet there. Probably cleaner too. However, he kind of needed some distraction and hopefully loud music and annoying shrieking would suffice.

And also, he genuinely wanted to take a piss anyway. Aomine squeezed his way past stacks of bodies that refused to budge more than an inch. The bass of the music trembled the room as he made a beeline towards the public bathroom. On the way there, he had to brush off a few drunk women trying to grope him. While under normal circumstances he wouldn't mind humouring them, he didn't feel like it right now.

Still, those girls got some nice pair of tits.

Anyway.

Aomine reached the toilet soon enough. The crowd had thinned out and thank fuck there was no one inside. It was relatively clean too, for a bar. The janitor must've made his round earlier.

The blunette splashed some cold water on his face and rubbed it violently as if it'd help him forget Kagami for a day.

The question was: how could he? He was so close to his young love now and to not be able to see him kinda sucked. He hoped that Kagami would miss him as much as Aomine did and that the redhead would wait for him at the airport. Their reunion would be a sweet one and everything would be well. They'd spend the rest of the day together, go to the drafting together and then celebrate together.

Alas...

Aomine took a deep breath and looked at himself in the mirror. His short fringe dripped water that fell down onto the sink eerily quietly. After a few seconds of silence, he took his phone out. There was a message from Kagami from about two hours ago that he missed.

It said: _'Hope you settled in fine. Akashi's place is crazy big.'_

He snorted at that. Then, he typed up a: _'it's fucking ridiculous lol'_ as a response.

With a stretch, Aomine walked out the bathroom back towards the loud booming main lounge. Not before he heard someone moaning loudly, though.

 _Fucking America_ , Aomine thought. Everyone here really was wild. It didn't come as a surprise that someone would be having a semi-public sex. Unfortunately, the shortcut to the VIP room was through that area, so he hoped that he wouldn't bother the lovey doveys.

He had an amused grin as he sauntered towards the janitor's room just in time for a tall, somewhat muscular blond with spiky hair to buckle his belt and walk away.

Good thing they were finished. Now he wouldn't have to feel guilty about walking past. However, he _was_ curious to see what kind of beauty that guy banged. White girls usually had big boobs, right? As much as Aomine loved Kagami, he still appreciated boobs too. That was one thing that would never change.

Hands in his pocket, he side-eyed the janitor's room which was still wide open.

Oh.

It wasn't a girl.

It was a guy. Big, tall, muscular man who slouched on the ground with the top two buttons of his suit popped open. There were traces of bite marks all over his neck and his lips were swollen. His pants weren't fully off either. They sat crumpled on his knees and his ass leaked fresh cum that pooled on the tile floor.

The sight made Aomine flinch a little. He looked so not taken care of. Even as a quick one night stand, his partner should at least help him clean up, right? That was just common courtesy. And besides, semi-public gay sex? What would everyone say if they found out?

Right. America. They would be more accepting and open about same-sex relationship, right? In a way, it made Aomine feel relieved. Less judgy eyes meant he could go a bit wilder with his sex life.

The man on the floor took a sharp breath before he lifted his face.

The first thing Aomine saw was red.

Then, his amused smirk melted into horror.

"...Kagami?"


	25. A Different You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAAIII sorry I left y'all hanging like that last week, that was very cruel of me~ but I hope this chapter will kiss the pain better <3

Deafening silence stretched between the two. For what felt like hours, red and blue remained locked on each other, refusing to budge. Their lips trembled wordlessly. Their fingers twitched in the desire to move, to curl, to _do_ something. The loud thrumming of the club was nothing more than background noise.

Neither men knew what to say. What _was_ there to say? Where to even _begin_? Disappointment, anger and fear burst within Aomine, in turn contorting his face into one of bewilderment as he stared, stunned, at the man who claimed that he wouldn't be here in Los Angeles.

"Oi, oi..." He finally spoke, voice shaky and riddled with emotion. "What the fuck...?"

There was no doubt about it. Even through the dim lighting of the hallway, Aomine knew that this was Kagami. Wild red hair, thick dual eyebrows and those flaming red eyes that were only a fragment of their old selves. Kagami looked lost.

"Excuse me, sir." A man donning dark blue jumpsuit cut through the silence. The moment Aomine turned to face the janitor, Kagami scrambled to his feet, pushed past the pair and disappeared into the main lounge all while doing his pants.

Aomine did nothing but stare at the space where Kagami ran off to. His mind was frozen and feet rooted firmly to the ground.

The cleaner clicked his tongue in distaste as he mopped the pool of cum off the floor. It was a stain that Aomine couldn't get off his mind for the next few minutes until a hand smacked his shoulder.

"Dai-chan!"

"Uh." The blunette flinched. He turned around to Satsuki's frown.

"Are you okay?" She tilted her head in concern when she saw the expression on his face. When Aomine didn't answer, she grew even more worried, so she shook the man's shoulders. "Dai-chan, what happened?"

"...I—" He made a strangled noise. "Nothing. Must be a mistake. Let's go back." _Yeah, that can't be him. Kagami said he won't be in LA, so it must've been a lookalike or something..._

Aomine knew he was grasping at straws. There was no mistaking the flaming red hair he saw just minutes ago. But if that really was him, then what the hell? Why did he lie and most importantly, why was that random ass dude fucking him?

Grabbing his phone out of his pocket, he quickly typed up a follow-up message to Kagami's LINE. It simply said: _'youre kidding me right???'_

And Aomine hoped. _Hoped_ that Kagami would rebut with 'what the fuck are you talking about' just so he could forget that haunting sight.

Was he jealous? Now that he thought about it, yeah. However, Aomine was more _angry_ than anything. If that really was Kagami, that only meant that for whatever reason, the guy refused to meet up with his highschool friend who came all the way to America, and to top it off, he hadn't been taking care of himself. Letting some random guy do whatever the hell he wanted like that? The Kagami Aomine knew would _never_.

He tried taking his mind off it by chatting away with his friends back in the VIP lounge, but all of them weren't dumb. Aomine had never been the hardest guy to read, so they immediately knew that something was wrong.

"Aomine, would you like to go back?" Akashi was the first to offer.

Seeing that he somehow managed to ruin the good vibes, Aomine groaned. "Shit, sorry," He rubbed his face with his palm. "I think... I think I saw Kagami back there."

The three exchanged surprised looks to each other, then back at Aomine. Kise said, "Are you sure it was him?"

"I think so... I mean, who else has those stupid forked eyebrows?" The blunette scratched his head. "But you guys really haven't heard about him being around, have you?"

"Well, I know that the Heat is here... but as far as I'm concerned, only half the team is. The rest are still occupied with practice," Kuroko muttered thoughtfully. "I just assumed Kagami-kun is still in Miami since he hasn't told me otherwise."

"Not even you guys, huh? I wonder what the hell's going on."

"Did Kagamicchi see you?"

"Saw me? We stared at each other for like, a whole minute. Then he just upped and ran off." Aomine scoffed. He wished Maru was here so he could stress-pat her.

"I will give him a call again soon. I'm worried too." Said Kuroko quietly.

The group quickly finished their drinks and then, they left the bar. In the end, it was only about an hour outing instead of an all-night one like Aomine suspected.

He was glad to come back too. Maru was waiting for him on his bed and he scooped her up and lied down next to her after taking a shower. For the rest of the day, his mind kept flashing that sight of Kagami, all dishevelled on the ground after sex. It really didn't sit well with him. While he understood the need to mess around, he didn't get why Kagami would let himself be fucked by a presumable stranger who didn't care enough about him to want to stay for aftercare.

It was gross. Thinking about that asshat's cum in Kagami's ass made Aomine want to find the stranger and snap his neck. Kagami definitely deserved better than that.

"Kagami... what the fuck's going on?" With Maru's meows and paw on his nose, though, Aomine's frown turned into a small smile. Then, he slowly fell asleep.

.

A figure hunched over on his bed could be seen against the night view of Los Angeles from the twenty-fifth floor of a luxury hotel. The man had his legs pulled up to his chest and his red eyes were painted with pain. Teeth grinding against each other, he finally let out a muffled choke and buried his head in his knees.

"This is just ridiculous..." He sighed out. "Why is it that after all this time, I..."

His thinking out loud was interrupted by a series of vibration from next to him. On the mattress, he saw his phone's screen lighting up with the name _Kuroko_ flashing across it. For a moment, he left it alone. However, after a few more seconds, he uncurled with an exhale, then he reached for his phone.

.

It was a mighty good thing that Himuro was somewhere out there with Murasakibara because Aomine wasn't sure if he could handle anyone interrupting him in the morning. Thanks to his jetlag, he woke up late at 10 AM and when he walked out into the living room, he saw everyone already gathering on the couch drinking their coffee and tea.

"Morning, Aominecchi! We got some breakfast delivered, so feel free to grab some." Kise greeted cheerfully.

Maru was nestled on Aomine's shoulder as he grunted his way towards the dining table to see a huge quantity of food. He picked up a piece of smoked salmon and dangled it in front of Maru to bite. He did it a few more times, smiling as the feline munched and licked her paw. "Did you hear anything from Kagami, Tetsu?"

"As a matter of fact, I did," Kuroko said after taking a sip of his orange juice. "He confirmed that he is in Los Angeles and indeed, you two met yesterday night."

Aomine clicked his tongue while he assembled some bacon and egg sandwich for himself. "Did he say why he lied?"

"Unfortunately, no. All he said is that he has his own reason."

The blunette growled as he put some barbecue sauce on his breakfast sandwich and joined the others on the couch.

"But he did tell me where he is staying." Kuroko added.

"And are you gonna tell me? I need to shake some answers outta the bastard. Better be good." Aomine scowled before he plucked another piece of smoked salmon off his plate and fed it to Maru.

"You're not going to rough Kagami-kun up will you, Aomine-kun?" Before his friend could say anything else, Kuroko smiled. "I know you won't. I'm pleasantly surprised that you didn't cause a scene yesterday when you saw him. The Aomine-kun I knew definitely would've, but I suppose you're not like that anymore."

That comment made Aomine stammer a little. His cheeks became warm and he turned to face the other way. "N-not really... I just thought that he'd have a reason for lying, that's all. Kagami's not the type to do that just because he feels like it. So I won't hit him unless he's just being stupid."

"Okay. I trust your judgement, Aomine-kun. If he really is just being an idiot, then punch him hard enough for me too," Said Kuroko flatly. "Oh, but he did say he won't be there this afternoon. Best time to catch him is the evening."

"Noted. Guess I'll just shoot some hoops or something since I've got nothing else to do. You guys coming?"

"Aah, sorry. I have some assignments I gotta do!" Kise whined at the thought.

"Actually, we have plans with the basketball team too, so you'll be by yourself today." Akashi spoke for both him and Kuroko. And apparently Satsuki too because she nodded along with her boyfriend.

"Aargh, seriously? Fine. I'll just go alone, then." Aomine finished what was left of his sandwich and watched the TV along with his friends. There was some hype surrounding the coming drafting session, especially about Daiki Aomine who was a likely candidate for the first overall pick.

It was kinda flattering to see so much excitement but it made Aomine feel awkward too. He didn't really want all that attention. What a pain in the butt. He couldn't walk down the street without being recognised by some sport junkies. He hoped that people would leave him alone when he'd go to the court later.

It was 1 PM when Aomine left with a ball in his duffel bag. He donned his casual loose black tanktop underneath a dark blue hoodie Satsuki gave him for his birthday last year. On the bottom were simple sneakers and dark shorts.

The street court was quite big even though it was quite a distance away from Beverly Hills. There were already people everywhere, so Aomine settled with half-court that was recently abandoned by a group of sweaty college students. He put his bag on the bench and immediately started dribbling.

It didn't take long for Aomine to zone out the noise and focused on his own play. It felt strange to spend more than a day without touching a ball, so this was a welcome activity. Dribble here, run there, stop there, jump back and throw. Sprint there, toss like that and it went in. He played as if there was an opponent in front of him. Unfortunately, that imaginary opponent was always Kagami and his uncanny ability to keep up with him.

He didn't let that distract him, though. He'd see Kagami soon enough. Hopefully, they'd be able to settle the event that happened yesterday because Aomine still had yet to receive a reply to his text message.

"Ahh, excuse me!" Someone said in English. The closeness of the voice snapped Aomine out of his focus and he scowled at the strangers. There were three women and one man standing there. They were all Caucasians. "You're Daiki, right?"

"Yeah. Whaddya want?" He snapped rather crudely with a strong Japanese accent. He didn't really care about what impression he made, though. He just wanted to play but it looked like he couldn't even have that much.

"Ha, you're really as aggressive as he said," The other male chuckled. "We're Jacob's friends. He told us you'll be in LA and to come say hi if we ever meet you."

"Oh, Jacob's friends!" His expression immediately brightened. His English wasn't the best, so he wasn't sure what else to say.

"Wanna play with us? Even though you'll probably destroy us," One of the girls giggled. "Oh, I'm Marianne, by the way. This is Ray, that's Joyce and that's Pat."

"Sure, sure! Jacob's friends are my friends." He grinned, a complete change of the earlier's attitude. The switch looked surprising because everyone was gobsmacked for a second until he passed the ball to one of the girls who caught it with ease.

"Then let's have fun, Daiki!" She giggled, and then they played.

It was a relaxing game. Aomine mostly played a supporting role because it was clear that these guys were nowhere near his level. He was pretty happy seeing how much fun the four seemed to have. It was kinda scary seeing how far he'd gotten from that bratty young kid who thought he'd seen it all. If the current him ever met the him from the pre-Kagami first year, then he'd give his young self an earful for sure.

"Hey, Daiki. I can't seem to get my three-pointer right." One of the girls whined while she fell into stance.

"Mm? Oh, you're... uh, not doing your wrist... properly." He stammered, still not used to speaking English. Instead, he walked behind the girl, fixed her posture and made an emphasis on the arm motion and the wrist flick for that extra power. "You understand?"

"I think so. Let's try it!" She repeated the motion, and while her aim was slightly off, it was a respectable effort. "Ahh, so close!"

"You know, Daiki, Jacob made you out to be this scary guy, but you're actually really nice." The other girl giggled as she grabbed Aomine's arm with both of hers.

"Right!? I was kinda scared when you scowled at us earlier, but no, you're a good guy." 

The feeling of two pair of boobs pressing up against his arms flustered him a little but he managed to not bumble like an idiot, somehow.

"Hey, are you free this weekend? Do you wanna go on a date or something?" One of them teased.

"Now, now..." Aomine laughed. "Sorry, I like someone else." At the collective 'aww no!', Aomine chuckled once again. He might enjoy casual lays here and there, but when it came to dating, no thank you. He'd only go out with someone he was actually invested in.

He looked up momentarily to see a flash of red that disappeared behind some trees. Blinking, he squinted to see if he could see what that was, but whatever it was, it was gone.

.

No one knew where the time went. It was about 1:30 when they played and now, it was already 5 PM. The group was still on the court after they grabbed a light snack and the sun was slowly setting on the horizon. They exchanged contact details too in case Aomine would like a tour around Los Angeles. The bluehead had to admit that it'd be nice to have company in this foreign place. He couldn't rely on his friends forever since they had their own lives.

It was around 5:20 PM when he slowly made his way towards the hotel Kuroko mentioned earlier. It was so fancy with its gold colour theme and brightly-lit, spacious living area that he felt out of place almost immediately. He was kinda sweaty after the workout but that didn't stop him from jumping into the elevator with a bunch of other people and clicked the button with 25 written on it.

The lift whirred as it made its way up. It felt like the longest minute of his life. Every ding, every stop and every jolt of movement made him flinch. Kagami didn't know that it was Aomine who was coming and not Kuroko, so what would his reaction be? They clearly didn't part on a good term yesterday night, so would Kagami just slam the door on his face?

He took a deep breath when the elevator reached the 25th floor, revealing a long hallway with a fork at the end. Room 259 was the one he wanted and he found it easily enough after treading through the light brown carpet.

Taking a deep breath, Aomine knocked on the door.

There was a brief shuffling sound followed by a click. It slowly creaked open but the chain connecting the knob to the frame was still there. A pair of red eyes peeked out and they immediately widened.

"A-Aomine..." Kagami stammered nervously. He looked like he wanted to slam the door but thankfully didn't.

"We need to talk." He stated firmly.

"...U-uh," The redhead fumbled. "You're not gonna hit me, are you?"

"I won't. Unless I think you deserve it."

A few seconds elapsed before Kagami nodded. Tentatively, he closed the door, undid the chain and swung it open. The guy was fidgeting with his feet and one hand rubbed the back of his neck. "Come in." He moved sideways to make space for Aomine who sauntered into the space and immediately made himself comfortable on the sofa near the window.

"You lied to me about not being in LA."

"I did," Kagami walked tentatively to the room and settled on the edge of his king-sized bed. "Sorry. I just wasn't ready to see you."

"Get straight to the point. What the hell happened? You've been acting really weird for the past few months. Years even." Aomine tinkered with the empty ashtray as he spoke.

"A lot happened," He scratched his head. "If I told you, you'd probably laugh at how stupid I was being, so I ended up not telling anyone."

Seeing that Kagami was still tiptoeing around the subject, the blunette exhaled. He didn't want to pry when his friend wasn't ready for it. "And what's up with yesterday?"

"That was a one-off thing... don't worry, I asked for it. I just needed to let out some steam," He fell silent and glanced up at Aomine's narrowed eyes. Deep down, Kagami knew that his explanation wasn't good enough but he really didn't want to talk about his festering wound. "I'm sorry for lying, though, Seriously!"

Aomine leaned forward, put an elbow on his thigh and rested his chin on his palm. There was pain swirling inside him as he heavily glared at Kagami. "You just didn't wanna see me. Is that it?" At the jolt, Aomine bit his lower lip. "Fuck. Am I stupid to think that we're still friends? Am I, Kagami?"

"No! You're still my friend!" Looking away, he sighed. "...A good friend."

"Cut the bullshit, Kagami. I know you don't think of me as a friend," Aomine shot up and grabbed the redhead by the collar, startling him. He might be considerate enough to not want to pry, but he certainly didn't like beating around the bush. They were both horrible at emotions, so it would be much better to approach the issue head-on instead of dancing around each other the way they did in the past. "You love me, don't you? Well, I'm here now. So kiss me breathless and we'll call it even."

Kagami's eyes widened at that bold statement. They stared at each other for a quiet few seconds only for Kagami to turn his head away and push the blunette away. "No. Not now," He stammered, cheeks flushed. "...Not now. I need my space, Aomine. I... I hope you understand."

With an exasperated sigh, Aomine ruffled his own hair before he dropped to his knees. Putting one hand on Kagami's, he started. "You're a pain in the fucking ass. If you're struggling with something, tell me. Or Kuroko. Or Himuro, I don't give a shit who you talk to but don't internalise it," He muttered, eyes locking into Kagami's even though the guy refused to look his way. "'Cause trust me, I _tried_ doing that. You saw what happened."

Only then that those red flickered. Tentatively, Kagami's eyes met Aomine's.

"Don't make the same mistake I did, Kagami," Letting go of his friend's hand, Aomine straightened his back. "Anyway, you can have sex with whoever you want, but don't sell yourself short. You deserve more than someone who leaves the moment he blows his load."

That statement took Kagami aback. He remained speechless for a moment, but managed to find his words. "You're not angry?"

"Of course I am! I'm barely holding it in right now, but when you're down, you do stupid shit. I've been there. That's why I'm telling you to be forward if you're troubled. I'd hate for you to fall into the same place I was in," Aomine growled, anger now apparent. "And besides, I might like you and all, but that didn't stop me from fucking other people. If I did, then you have all the right to do that as well. No way I'd be angry at a guy who just wanna satisfy his sex drive."

In return, Aomine received nothing but a pair of wide red eyes and slightly parted lips. Then suddenly, a chuckle burst out and Kagami's shoulders shook violently. It was followed with loud laughter as he threw his head back and laughed his fill until his cheeks turned red.

The sound made Aomine's heart pound loudly. At that moment, Kagami looked so unbelievably bright and cheerful, a far cry from the man he saw in the janitor's room just last night. 

"Ah, man. Sorry," He giggled. "It's just... I never thought that the day would come where you're the more level-headed one between us. That was great..." After he settled down, he offered an absolutely adorable grin that Aomine missed so much. "Thanks for the pep-talk, Aomine. I feel a lot better now."

"You ready to tell me what's on your mind?" He hid his fluster with a scowl, arms crossed.

"In due time. Sorry, the wound's still fresh. I'm still coming to terms with it, so..." He scratched his head. "But I guess I can tell you this much. I just got out of a toxic relationship. And before you say it, no, I didn't tell anyone, so don't think you're the only one unaware of my situation."

"Shit, Kags. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine now. I held on a bit too long. Anyway, I'll tell you the full story one day, okay? For now, I guess... uh, I'm just gonna apologise again. I know I haven't been the best company this past couple of years... I've got no one to keep me in check, you know? I got a bit carried away and lost touch with reality," He murmured. "But I'm seriously glad to see you again. I was actually... uh, kinda nervous."

"Nervous?"

"Yeah, thinking that you've changed or something... or worse yet..." He pursed his lips and put his hands behind him. "Y'know, regressed."

"Heh, what kind of weakling d'you take me for?" Aomine settled next to Kagami and lightly punched his friend's arm. Both of them exchanged light chuckles at the contact. "I'm also glad to see you. It's been too long." He then put his palm on Kagami's shoulder and tapped it.

The contact made Kagami flinch a little. It was slight, but Aomine could see the guy shuffling away reflexively. The reaction coaxed a frown from the taller, but he ultimately let his friend go. He only assumed that it was the effect of this mentioned 'toxic relationship', but he wasn't too sure.

"You're coming to the drafting session, right?" Aomine shifted the topic.

"Yeah, 'course, Mr Number-One-Overall-Pick. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Are you excited?" As quickly as it came, the tension disappeared thanks to one sunny grin.

"Kinda. I just wanna kick your ass again."

"Heh, shut up. You'll eat your words. I heard that Rockets' pretty keen on having you on board. They're sorely lacking good offensive players this season. Who knows, maybe you'll be their next Westbrook."

"Guess we'll see on the day. I won't let you take that Rookie of the Year award, y'hear? It's mine." Leaning back on the bed, Aomine grinned.

"Try and take it if you can. I'm a pretty good candidate for it." Kagami smirked smugly.

Both of them talked for a while longer, not realising that the moon had fully risen until their stomachs started growling. Talking to Kagami had always been so easy and not even five years could change that. Even after their rocky first meeting in LA, their chemistry was still sky high. It only reaffirmed Aomine's love for this dumbass, and while he was gently turned down due to whatever was going on in Kagami's life, he knew that it'd be only time before they'd get together.

Hopefully, anyway.

As much as he didn't like being left hanging like that, he knew full well how important timing was. If back then it wasn't right for him, this time, it wasn't for Kagami. All they could do was wait a little longer.

Standing on the entrance, Aomine was just making sure that he had his keys and wallet in his pocket when Kagami said, "I'm really happy you dropped by."

Aomine turned around to see the redhead's shy smile but as he saw throughout the night, there was something restrained about it. Like Kagami was intentionally putting a wall between them. Aomine wasn't a fan of such secrecy, but he didn't want to barge in Kagami's life right after they just met again. "Yeah. Same."

There was a brief silence.

"If you're not busy, let's do some one-on-one later." The bluehead continued.

"Ah, yeah. I'd like that. It's been a while."

"Mm-hm," He nodded. "Anyway, I'll see you around."

Just when he was about to close the door, he heard shuffling from behind him that was followed by a call: "Aomine!"

So, he turned around.

"...Uh. Nothing. See you."

.

One week passed by in a blink of an eye. During the time Aomine was in America, he tried to go to the street court often with Jacob's friends when they were available or to simply play against those who were already there. Sometimes, he'd destroy effortlessly while other times, he actually had to try to crush his opponents.

The activity must've alerted some representatives from the NBA teams too because he'd often see some people with cameras lingering outside the court. Most of the time, Aomine paid them no mind. He was used to playing with an audience, and to have no shortage of opponents to play against only distracted him further.

Sometimes, Akashi, Kise, Kuroko and Satsuki would join him, giving him more challenge than those others could ever dream of giving. One time, Kagami came over too to observe although he didn't play. The redhead mentioned that he was under a strict order to rest his legs since they started acting up during practice a few days ago.

Mostly, everything went fine. Aomine got along well with Kagami still, constantly exchanging friendly jabs and teases just like the old days. Of course, there was no excessive touching. No matter how much Aomine tried to convince himself that they were interacting normally, there was no denying how strained things were deep down. Both of them acted friendly like a pair of best friends, but in reality, they were stopping themselves from getting carried away.

It was less than ideal, but what else could Aomine do? Five years was a damn long time and of course, things wouldn't fall back into place so easily.

Currently, they were in a local burger joint gorging on fatty food unbefitting of athletes. But with Kagami, it felt right to eat like crap. Watching the redhead swallowing his eight burgers never ceased to impress him.

"You'll be sitting with the Heat backstage during the drafting, right?" Aomine asked while munching on his food.

"Mm. Not allowed in the main area. I'll be watching intently, though. I'm so curious to see which team will pick you. And Kise and Tatsuya too. It's a long time coming."

"Heard he's pretty much guaranteed to go to the Raptors. Can't wait to see the Yosen combo being annoying again. It'll definitely level Murasakibara's play up a notch." Aomine grinned at the memory of playing against them back in high school.

They heard quiet slurping next to them. Collectively, they sighed and turned to look at Kuroko nonchalantly picking fries off Aomine's tray.

"I'll never get used to you." The blunette said dryly.

"Your suit is finished, Aomine-kun. It'll replace the cheap second-hand one you wore to the club last time."

"Shut up, I love that thing! Not my fault I'm not nasty rich like Akashi." He then spotted Satsuki approaching with a tray of burger set meals that she put down on the table. Then, she took the seat opposite of Kuroko, next to Aomine.

"You'd better get ready, Dai-chan. We need to fix up your hair and clean up your eyebrows too. I won't let my best friend go up the stage looking like a walking disaster."

"Dunno, Aomine's already a disaster." Kagami snorted which was replied with an eyeroll from the one being mocked.

"My hair's perfect like this. It's a part of my overflowing charm. Ask Kagami." He said while brushing his short bangs back.

"Ugh," The redhead grunted. "As much as I hate to admit it, you do have some nice hair for an idiot. C'mere." Kagami leaned across the table to ruffle Aomine's soft blue locks. "Like petting a kitten."

"I should be offended but since it's technically a compliment... maybe I'll let you touch 'em." The dark-skinned male grinned playfully, dusting red on the corner of Kagami's cheeks. That was the closest they had to intimate contact so far, so Aomine wasn't gonna complain.

"Come onnn!" Satsuki tugged on Aomine's arm. "Finish your food and we'll go to the hairdresser. See, you've got split ends! That's no good." She scowled.

"No one's gonna look at my hair under a fucking microscope!"

"I suggest you comply, Aomine-kun. We both know she will not stop until she gets what she wants." Kuroko added with a slurp.

"And you too Kagamin. Your hair's waaay too long! Look at your fringe. How do you play basketball with that?" 

"Uh... I use a headband?"

"That won't do. I'm taking you both to the hairdresser. Geez, I take my eyes off you for one second..." She sighed before stuffing fries into her mouth, stood up and dragged both boys with her insane power. They said men kicked and screamed half-heartedly with Kuroko trailing behind them.

The trip didn't take too long. The hairdresser obviously knew what she was doing, so snip here and snip there and they were as good as new. Kagami's fringe was now shorter and he could see his eyebrows completely while Aomine...

Kagami stared at the blunette with his mouth slightly agape. He thought it'd just be trim and that was it, but he was wrong. Not only did he look cleaner, he looked... uh, _extremely_ mature. And sexy.

Satsuki fawned over Aomine's new haircut and snapped a lot of photos while the man in question kept running his fingers through his hair as if trying to get accustomed to his new do.

"Hm. Not too bad." He said, admiring the way his short fringe got even shorter. It was now parted from three-quarterth of his right side with one side combed to the left and the other to the right. The hairdresser also put some gel to neatly spike the soft strands up, all in the right places. The hair that trailed to his neck had also been evenly shaved to produce a more formal, mature look.

The whole time, Kagami stared at Aomine. He had a feeling that once the guy donned the suit, he'd look even better.

"He looks clean, doesn't he, Kagami-kun."

"Eeeeep!" The redhead let out an embarrassing shriek. "U-ugh, yeah. I guess. It's a different look."

The shorter male gave a small smile. "Soon enough, we'll all play together again. Isn't it nice, Kagami-kun?"

He nodded in response. "Of course. It'll be like high school all over again."

"Don't you want to play with Aomine-kun? It's difficult to imagine you two not being next to each other in the long run."

"Well, it's not my decision to make. The players have very little say in who gets put in and not." He muttered while Aomine was still busy choosing a good cologne.

A moment of silence stretched on while Kuroko stared calculatingly at his friend. "You don't get along well with your teammates, do you, Kagami-kun?"

A sigh. He knew that lying to Kuroko was never a good idea unless you want to get smacked on the side. "It's not that I don't get along with them. I guess I just don't feel comfortable there."

"I see. That can't be helped sometimes. We don't get to choose which team we play for, after all," Kuroko shifted his eyes to Satsuki. "I hope you two will play together again. I miss seeing that chemistry."

Kagami nodded in response. He, too, badly wanted to play with Aomine again and experience that satisfying buzz of dominating the court together. However, time had a way with someone's head. Kagami didn't want to hope too much. As said, he had no say in who his teammates were, so the chances of them getting drafted in the same team were astronomically low.

He kept his worries unspoken, but he knew that Kuroko understood without Kagami having to say it out loud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aomine has really come a long way, hasn't he? Anyway, here's a [picture of what Aomine's hair looks like after the cut!](https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/70227047)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter and happy AoKaga month~


	26. A Smoldering Ember

Despite the hundreds of people present in the room, it was quiet. Light chitter-chattering could be heard, but it was something that could be zoned out very easily.

The whole time, Aomine sat fiddling with his tie that was too tight for his liking only to have his hand slapped away by Satsuki. On his other side, Kazuhiro only shook his head in amusement at his son's discomfort. Ever since he was little, he had never been good with formal parties, so it was amusing to see that some things just never changed.

 _'Beware of the intense booing from the crowd'_ Kagami said. _'They do that to like, literally everyone'_

_'well guess i'll be punching the whole room tonight'_

_'Please don't do that lol'_

"I wanna go home." Aomine growled as he tried his hardest to not touch his tie.

"Stop complaining! Just be a good boy and sit tight." Satsuki smacked her friend's hand anyway.

"Cut Daiki some slack. He and suits don't get along very well."

"Even though you look so good in it... What a waste. I pity your future partner. They'll never see you in anything but tank top and hoodies." She muttered just like a doting mother.

"Jokes on you, they don't need to see me in anything." That coaxed a slap to the back of the head that made Aomine utter an 'ow!'.

He waited, bored out of his mind, as the host started going on and on about something in English that Aomine didn't really care to understand. Instead, he kept his hands on his lap, most precisely on his phone. He had been talking with Kagami for the past fifteen minutes, telling each other how much they hated being in this kinda event.

It was nice, talking to someone who could understand him. Aomine really understood why he got along with Kagami so well now. They were too similar in what they enjoyed, their no's and their do's.

"Ssh, Dai-chan. Pay attention." Satsuki pinched her friend's arm, making him grumble. He did put his phone in his pocket and look up, though.

"And with the first pick..."

It was tense. Everyone was on the edge of their seat and Aomine suspected that his two companions were more nervous than he was. Unlike them, he didn't really care about the order of the drafting since he knew he'd make it in the top three anyway.

"Minnesota Timberwolves selects Daiki Aomine from Tokyo, Japan and the Shibuya Sun Rockers."

"Daiki!" Kazuhiro slapped his son's back, practically forcing him up to his feet. The blunette scowled at his dad, but cleared his throat and walked up the stage with a smirk. As Kagami mentioned earlier, he could hear the round of 'boo' from the crowd that made him want to flip a bird at them. Unfortunately, Satsuki would kill him if he did that.

"Daiki Aomine, twenty-three years old, six foot five. He played in the Sun Rockers as a Power Forward for a year prior to this..." The host continued rambling about something Aomine didn't really care to understand.

He went to the desk just next to the stage to grab his Timberwolves hat and he put it on while he saw Satsuki and his dad snapping picture after picture. He gave them a small wave before making his way back to his seat. The whole time, he felt his phone vibrating violently in his pocket, probably thanks to all his friends dying to congratulate him.

The only message he cared about was from Kagami, though. And maybe Kuroko's.

He was ushered by a Timberwolves representative towards their desk where he had to awkwardly deal with the congratulations. Him speaking in broken English was pretty much how the rest of the drafting night passed by for him.

Though somewhere amidst the chaos, he could hear:

 _"With the fifth pick, Golden State Warriors selects Ryouta Kise from University of California."_ And;

 _"With the seventh pick, New York Knicks selects Tatsuya Himuro from University of California."_ And;

_"With the fifteenth pick, Los Angeles Clippers selects Seijuro Akashi from University of California."_

Huh. So Himuro didn't end up going to the Raptors. And Akashi got drafted too? What a nice surprise.

Now, only Kuroko remained, it seemed. Soon enough, they'd be able to play against each other again just like the old days. Thinking about it brought a pleased grin to Aomine's face. His high school friends also grabbed their hats and their photos, too, were taken by a very cheerful Satsuki. He smiled fondly at his childhood friend who stood by his side through thick and thin. There were no words to describe how grateful he was to her. Without her, he definitely wouldn't be here.

"Girlfriend?" The Timberwolves coach who introduced himself as Aiden tapped Aomine's shoulder.

"No. Friend." He simply replied, a little annoyed but managed to not make himself sound too bitter. The table of four spent the remainder of the drafting making small talks such as how Aomine got into basketball, his expectation of the team and the team's expectation of him. They discussed positions and potential opponents to watch out for as well.

"We have arranged accommodation for you with the team. Since it's the beginning of the season, please pack your belongings and we will leave next week at 9 AM. As for necessities..." The coach explained everything rather quickly. Aomine's English wasn't the best, so tried as he might, his brain couldn't catch up.

He was then briefly introduced with the people he'd be playing alongside. Naturally, Aomine already knew all of them after watching the NBA intently for a few years.

"Do you know those other Japanese guys as well, Dai?" One of them asked curiously. Aomine suspected that this question nagged the back of others' too because they immediately turned towards him.

"Aah... no." He lied. He didn't really want to cause too much media sensation. Imagine those journalists and their grubby hands if they found out this recent influx of Japanese players in the NBA were actually high school friends. They'd lap that up.

"Hm... I see. But I heard you hang out with Taiga often." Another one mulled.

"Yeah. New friend," Again, a lie. "Good guy. Good player."

"He ain't too bad. Kinda annoying, actually when we played against him last time. He wouldn't stop getting in our faces and what's with those jumps? Seriously messed up!"

That coaxed an amused chuckle from the blunette. He knew that all too well. "My rival."

"Whoa, you've got your eyes on someone else already?" As everyone talked some more with their new addition, the team eventually reached the parking lot outside just in time to see the Heat about to get on their bus.

Aomine's eyes met Kagami's. For a moment, they were quiet. Aomine wasn't sure what to do. The question of ' _how should we act in front of our teams?'_ lingered heavy in the air until Kagami finally cracked a smile and paced towards his friend. The redhead slapped Aomine's shoulder excitedly.

"Way to go, Aomine!" He said in English.

The blunette grinned as he rubbed his nose. "Get ready for some ass-kicking. No holding back on the court, 'kay?" He also answered in the same language. "Shame that we can't play together, but this'll do for now." Now, in Japanese.

"Yeah. Players keep getting transferred each year, so we'll never know if we'll end up on the same team eventually," The redhead replied, also in his mother tongue. "Well, anyway. I'll see you later!"

Kagami turned around to join his teammates, not forgetting to exchange a wave through the window before the bus drove off.

A hand on his shoulder snapped the blunette back to reality. "I think you're better than him, Daiki."

That resulted in a smirk being cracked. "I know. He's good, but I won't ever let him beat me."

And just like that, Aomine was given a week to pack up his stuff and come with the Wolves to Minnesota. Considering he didn't have anything with him, it was no dramas. All he did was slip in a few more games with Jacob's friends, spent some more time with his high school friends and saw Satsuki and his father off at the airport. The poor girl was crying in Kuroko's arms on the day of her departure but that wasn't unexpected.

It was a good thing that they weren't the only group with a crying maiden, so thankfully, they didn't garner that much attention. As Kuroko held his girlfriend, stroking her hair and telling her to stop sobbing, Aomine looked at his dad.

"Uh," The dark-skinned male muttered. "Thanks for coming."

"And thanks for taking care of Aomine." Kagami bowed slightly.

"No, no. That's no big deal. I was just doing what I was supposed to years ago..." Replied Kazuhiro. "And I owe it all to you, Kagami-kun. I never did say thank you."

"Ahh..." The redhead looked down and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "To be honest, I didn't know what else I could say. I'm glad I helped."

"Okay, is there something you guys aren't telling me?" The bluehead frowned with arms crossed.

"Pardon me for having a few secrets, Daiki." The elder winked before he shook hands with Kagami and bid their farewell. The two then disappeared in the sea of bodies..

"Oi, Kagami!" Aomine immediately grabbed his friend before he could escape. An explanation was definitely in order but seeing the disgruntled Aomine filled Kagami with some twisted sense of amusement, so instead of complying, he shrugged. "Ooh, so that's how you wanna play it... Fine! Let's play one-on-one right now and if I win, you'll tell me!"

"And if I win, you'll pay for lunch. Let's go!" Without so much as a parting word, the two were absorbed into a world of their own and they immediately ran out of the airport, hailed the cab and completely forgot about their friends.

"Some things never change. However, I must admit that they have gotten even worse with their spatial awareness when they're together." Akashi shook his head in amusement.

"It's fine, isn't it? They just miss each other. Even though they won't admit it out loud." Himuro laughed while Murasakibara continued munching on his chocolate bar.

"All well that ends well. Well, somewhat. I believe there are still some things that they need to untangle, but all in due time. Shall we get a move on?" Kuroko turned towards Kise who nodded.

"Yeah, I have to continue packing up. Still have two more boxes of clothes I have to fold..." He yawned. Yesterday night wasn't good for his sleep schedule.

"You're not moving too far away, Kise. I expect us to have lunch from time to time."

"Of course, Akashicchi! Don't be too lonely when I'm gone, okay? That house is soooo big, you might want to get a pet or something!" The blond grinned before he joined the group and went for the carpark.

.

Five years did little to dull their senses. While off-court, things were strained between them, on-court, it was anything but. Blue and red blurred on the field, constantly pushing, cutting and converging. To the untrained eyes, it would seem like two professional players were at it, but to those who knew basketball, they understood that this was beyond skill alone.

Not only did the two keep up with each other, they played like they knew each other's style on top of their heads. With friendly insults and laughter, they dribbled across the court. Their eyes were filled with fire and intensity. Every movement was trained yet instinctive. Grins cracked as they wordlessly danced around each other yet stalemate persisted.

"You really ain't too bad." Aomine wheezed a deep breath when Kagami finally broke the said stalemate. He scored the first point, but it wasn't an easy one. Both of their blood pumped hard, their adrenaline rushing through their veins.

The redhead wiped the sweat of the lower half of his face with his arm. "I know. You've been missing out, Ahomine. If you'd come sooner, then we could've played like this all the time."

"Except you would've been on the other side of America," The blunette grinned and caught the ball Kagami threw at him. "Let's go again! I'll score this time."

Yeah, this felt right. This was how everything was supposed to be. Fiery hot, unbridled passion, genuine exchange. Here, both men didn't have to hold back their emotions. Whatever baggage weighed them down had been shed. The only ones who existed were each other with the desire to improve always tangible.

It was like they got to know each other again starting from 'Hello'. Through the brief exchange, Aomine could see what Kagami wanted to say. The explosive intensity only made Aomine that much more certain that the male, indeed, still cared about him. The connection was still there begging to be explored once more if given the chance.

Talking had never been their strong suit, so why should it suddenly be? Through the measly five minutes they shared, Aomine learned more about _this_ Kagami more than those thirty in the hotel room did. He was sure that with a little more time, they'd finally be able to open up again.

"My coach's gonna kill me," Despite what he said, Kagami slapped Aomine's back and fell into a defensive stance. "Come at me, then, Aho! Show me what Mr First-Overall-Pick is capable of!"

"You're gonna regret challenging me, Bakagami." With that, Aomine lowered his body and dribbled low, keeping the ball out of his friend's grasp. With every step, every dribble and every throw, crowd gathered around them. It didn't help that the two were known faces to those who enjoyed basketball.

The first attempt of scoring resulted in Kagami slapping the ball away. With a snarl, Aomine ran towards the object, but before he could grab it, he saw just how many people had gathered around them. The item rolled and the two were snapped out of their trance.

"Where the hell did they all come from?" The blunette clicked his tongue when a random man picked up the ball and took a selfie with it. "Che, this is not fun anymore. Let's go, Bakagami."

"What's that, Aomine? Cold feet?" A shit-eating grin grew on the other's lips. "Too nervous to play with a bunch of people around? Scared Mr First-Overall-Pick is gonna lose?"

"Oh that's it! You're on." His loud voice made the man holding the ball flinch. He hurriedly passed it towards Aomine and—

"Tiger!" Was the voice of a few men who slipped past the crowd. Aomine recognised them as Kagami's teammates. "Come on, dude. You're under strict order not to play."

"Eeh? But..."

"No but's! We'll get in trouble too if Jack finds out," The tallest of the group turned towards Aomine. "Sorry to ruin the party, dude."

"Ah. That's cool," Replied Aomine, disappointment clear in his tone. Then, in Japanese, he said to Kagami. "Guess we'll just have to do this another time."

And just like that, everything crumbled again. Those bright red eyes died down to an ember and the spell was broken. Kagami visibly pulled away as his teammates tugged him away from the court. The entire time, Aomine only quietly watched. In hindsight, he probably should've said something. However, at that moment, Kagami's back was too far away for him to reach.

.

There was no denying that something was brewing in the Raptors. Shortly after the drafting session, they traded off one of their top scorers to New York Knicks in exchange of Himuro Tatsuya even though they missed out on the playoff this year. While the dark-haired rookie was undoubtedly a great player, they weren't sure if that was a good decision. They already had a half-passionate rookie under their sleeve that they had to take care of, so why would they pick up another green player?

What they didn't know was how the Raptors found out that Himuro and Murasakibara played together in high school. There was little documentation of such small-time championship, especially one that wasn't professional, but they managed to lay their hands on some tapes.

It all started with a simple observation. The only times Murasakibara's eyes lit up was when he ate something he liked or when he was on the phone. Everyone thought it was a girlfriend of some sort, considering the way he smiled wide and became so talkative. However, it was so difficult getting any information. All questions always got brushed off with 'Eeh...'.

Until they kept listening and listening. The Japanese spoke in his mother tongue, but there was one thing that remained constant: The name Muro-chin. It got to the point where his teammates started wondering who that was. When asked, Murasakibara replied with a vague: "Muro-chin is Muro-chin..." which definitely didn't help.

Why they bothered, one might ask. It was simply because they saw what their rookie was capable of that they were willing to go above and beyond. One time during a match against the Sixers, their opponent made a thoughtless racist remark regarding Murasakibara, something along the line of: "There's no such thing as a good Asian basketballer." It pissed the usually lazy giant enough to tie his hair into a small ponytail, then he proceeded to block 80% of the other team's shots.

Long story short, Murasakibara's crazy plays made the headline. Ever since that day, the Raptors wanted to bring back that same passion.

And it wasn't until a few months later that they flicked through the list of players in the scout report that they learned who Muro-chin was. The moment they reviewed Himuro Tatsuya's profile, Murasakibara's eyes brightened and he whispered "Muro-chin!" under his breath. Everyone immediately zoomed in on the sheet of paper and quickly got to work.

The coach reviewed every single piece of recording that the UCLA team had to see what Himuro was capable of. He was a great all-rounder that needed a bit of polish but certainly looked promising. While this happened, a lot of the other players decided to play FBI and sweetened Murasakibara enough for him to spill that they used to play on the same team together back in high school.

That led to them calling Yosen High to request any tapes they might have, and lo and behold, they received them. As it turned out, the two was quite the dynamic duo back then.

And finally...

"Man, I'm so glad you're here, Tatsuya! Ever since you joined, Atsushi's been playing like a man possessed. He's seriously like a whole another person!" An African-American who wore jersey number 9 said after their drills.

"He really does need someone to keep him in check. It's always been like that ever since he touched a ball." The dark-haired male laughed as he watched his friend pacing towards him.

"Muro-chin, are we going to that shop later? Look, look. They just posted a new sweet. I want to try it..." He showed his phone screen which had a picture of some weird purple panna cotta with blueberries and tempered white chocolate flower.

"Come on, Atsushi. The coach told you to lay off the sweets, didn't he? It's important to maintain a balanced diet, you know." They made it a habit to speak English when their teammates were around as to not alienate them.

"But... it looks so good..." The tall man pouted, his cheeks puffed and eyes cast down.

Himuro crossed his arms. "No is no. If you really want sweets, what about I make you some cheesecake later? At least I can control the amount of fat that goes in it."

"Muro-chin's cheesecake!" Murasakibara's eyes immediately lit up. "As long as you don't share it with anyone else but me."

"Whaaat!? Don't be like that, Atsushi. We wanna taste some cheesecake too! Oi, you'll make some for us too, right? We're all pals now, right?" His teammate grinned teasingly but very seriously.

"Well, I guess I'd have to do some shopping later." The new recruit smiled calmly before he got back to his feet. "Alright, let's get back to it. Time's a ticking and I have much to learn from all of you still."

"Okaaaay..." The taller yawned as he followed his friend back to the court.

A few players chuckled and the two's antics that was akin to a master and his overgrown, lazy pet cat. As they watched the two doing some passing drills, they saw how quickly the pair eased into a good team play. Even though it had only been a few days since they snagged Himuro from the Knicks, they saw what synergy he shared with Murasakibara.

"Damn, I think we're ready for next season," One of them commented. "Other teams have their dynamic duos but I think we have a good chance of making our mark too."

"Heh. And none of 'em will see it coming. Did you see the sceptics publishing those articles? We really scored gold!"

"Though did you guys see the team they were playing against in that tape? I can't really read the school name, but it was the boys in black and red," At the nods they shared, he continued. "I could've sworn I saw someone who looked like Taiga... And that Daiki too. But the recording was too shaky, I couldn't tell for sure."

"Haah? Must be your imagination. There's no way... Taiga and Daiki... That'd be too much of a coincidence."

"...Can you imagine, though? Taiga's pretty damn good for a rookie, and Daiki? Fuck, he's out of this world. If they're anything like our Japs..." They all turned to see Murasakibara and Himuro talking to each other after one of them scored. "...Then I kinda don't wanna see them playing on the same team."

.

A large dark blue duffel bag with neon green trimming was thrown to the bed where it barely made the edge. It dropped unceremoniously before a dark-skinned male plopped head-first into the soft mattress.

Another tiring day.

Aomine moaned in protest when his back cracked a little as he stretched. He thought the training with the Sun Rockers was harsh, but that was actually cakewalk comparing to this. It kinda reminded him of Satsuki's... or even Alex's. The scary big-boobed women who made sure everyone suffered.

After a few minutes of steadying his breaths, he turned over with a grunt before scrolling through his phones to see messages from his friends asking about the preseason start date. Since drafting occurred during the playoffs, Aomine was untested. He was put in the inactive roster until his synergy with the team could be evaluated, which was a shame. He wanted to play right away, but it couldn't be helped.

He did get to see Kagami playing from up close yesterday. The pressure of his rival's eyes must've pushed him to do more than asked of him. Kagami started to more actively seek openings where he could attack. Of course, he didn't neglect his defence completely, but after a few minutes of such bright play befitting of Kagami Taiga that made Aomine tap his feet restlessly against the ground in excitement, he was pulled off the court.

Aomine had no idea for what reason. However, when the redhead returned to the court in the third quarter, he stopped attacking completely.

He clearly remembered Kagami's pained expression when they met outside the stadium. He clenched his duffel bag's strap tightly but he refused to answer.

_Briiiiing._

Aomine jumped in surprise, resulting in his phone smacking him on the face. He quickly peeled it away to see that it was Kagami. Man of the damn hour.

_"Hey, Aomine. Sorry to call you right after practice, but if you're still in Miami, do you wanna meet up at that bar near the stadium?"_

"Huh? Yeah, of course. I'll just have a shower first. I think the team's leaving tomorrow, though, so I can't stay that late." 

_"That's fine. I just... uhm, well, just come, okay? I'll be waiting."_

With a click, the call was disconnected. The blunette was confused but it didn't stop him from getting to his feet, took a nice cold shower and put on some clean clothes. His legs were still screaming at him, but he sucked it up. The Wolves made it a thing to have the guys who didn't see much playtime to hit the gym so they could keep in shape.

It didn't take him long to find the shiny establishment pouring with people. Their combined stares at seeing a professional NBA player didn't make Aomine bat an eyelash anymore. He walked past everyone until he reached the rather secluded corner seat where Kagami was. He had a glass of mixed bourbon already on the table. The guy fashioned his casual wear of varsity jacket, white T-shirt and black jogging pants, his ring necklace dangling off his neck as usual.

"Hey," He smiled when Aomine settled next to him. "Get your own damn drink!" It was quickly replaced with a scowl when his friend picked up the glass and took a sip.

"You're the one who invited me. It's only natural that you're the one who pays. 'Sides, you're making the big bucks, so no big deal, right?" He shrugged before shrugging off his hoodie and putting it on the empty space next to him.

Effortlessly, they eased into their usual banter over a few glasses of alcohol. They didn't really know how much they had, but the stopped before their heads could spin any more. They felt a bit woozy as it stood and their conversation grew stranger still. It started with Kuroko and Satsuki and somehow, it ended with 'what would happen if Kise works as a garbage man'.

Their laughter died down after a while, leaving only childish giggles and smiles as they downed a glass of water to keep themselves hydrated.

"Guess we're not gonna face off until the next season, huh? What a shame. I've been looking forward to it too the whole season."

"Even if we are, I doubt we can play seriously anyway. What's with your coach demanding you to play defence. I won't be able to go all out." Aomine narrowed his eyes.

"Ah, about that..." Kagami put his glass down and leaned back. This time, nervous. "Actually I was gonna talk to you about that. I kinda promised to tell you what's going on, so I think now's a good time."

"Oh?" Hearing the tone, Aomine quirked an eyebrow. Ever since their talk in that hotel room, Kagami made no move to open himself up. If this was gonna be the day, then he wanted to keep his head clear.

"Uh... You see, my coach really doesn't want me to go on the offensive. You saw it yesterday, right? I tried, but he pulled me off. He said I should focus on defence and not to screw around with scoring," Kagami glowered. He didn't look pleased with it at all and neither was Aomine. "Actually I've been trying to tell him that I'm more comfortable on the offence, but he's not listening."

"That's fucking stupid. He's a coach, it's his job to listen to his players."

"Yeah... but Jack's kinda an old-fashioned guy. He keeps pressuring me to keep practising my defence and... to tell you the truth, I don't enjoy it. Lately, training is kinda becoming a chore..."

"Oi, oi, Kagami..."

"I won't quit or anything! I know things will get better. Ah, hopefully. But... yeah, I guess I wanted to tell you that. In case you were wondering why I hold myself back." He sighed.

Seeing his friend twiddling his thumbs like that made Aomine want to shift the topic. Such resigned look didn't suit Kagami, but if this was the truth of his situation, he wanted to do something about it. "Well... I guess players get traded often. Just hope your next team will be way better than this one."

"Yeah, can't wait," Kagami smiled, exhaustion clear. "That's enough about that. How are you settling in?"

"Not bad. Though I'm still annoyed number 5's taken already. Don't they know it's _my_ number?" The entitled complaining coaxed a loud chuckle from Kagami who went for another glass of water. "So I told them to give me whatever. Then they gave me _that_."

"What?" The redhead grinned.

"10. I got number 10. I'm Touou's Kagami fucking Taiga."

A roar of laughter burst from the shorter male. He slapped his knees and threw his head back. It was a sight that warmed Aomine's heart. "Hey, you should be happy about it! My number is a cool number."

"Cooler than 15, that's for sure. What did you say? _'I'll play enough for the both of us'_? I can't believe how corny that was."

"O-oi! I didn't know what else to get, okay? 10's not available at mine."

"Not complaining. It was kinda cute, honestly." The blunette rested his face on the back of his palm while giving Kagami a tilted cocky smirk that immediately flustered the male. Kagami turned around slightly, revealing the side of his thick neck that Aomine used to dine on all the time.

He squinted.

"Kagami," This time, his voice was cold and it startled his friend. The male nervously faced the Wolves player questioningly. "That." He lazily pointed at his conversational partner's neck.

Immediately, Kagami slapped a hand over it. A large purple bruise, an unmistakable hickey that was supposed to be hidden, but revealed. "Ah, this..."

With an annoyed exhale, Aomine uncrossed his legs and leaned back. "I'm not gonna judge you. Just be careful," Begrudgingly, he glanced at the redhead. "It's... consensual, right?"

"Yeah! Yeah. Don't worry, I won't let anyone take advantage of me."

"...Good," Aomine muttered quietly. _Way_ too quietly. "You found a new sex buddy or something?"

"Not really. It's just... well, y'know..."

"One night stand. Never pegged you to be the type, Kagami." Despite the small smirk, there was bitterness in it. How could he _not_ be frustrated? Kagami claimed that he needed space yet he laid with another. _Multiple_ others, mind you.

"Well, what about you? I bet you've had lots of sex here too. Bouncy tits, right?" Almost too defensively, Kagami curled his lips.

Actually, nope. Aomine hadn't had sex ever since coming to America. So, he didn't say anything. He merely stared at Kagami's dark red eyes.

The quiet spoke volume. Kagami widened his eyes and he looked down. "...Ah."

Discord became palpable in the air. It wasn't really what Aomine wanted to end the night with, so with all the strength he had left in him, he took a deep breath and slapped Kagami's shoulder. "You look fucking pathetic. I can have sex when I want to, so don't feel guilty, stupid. It's not like we're _dating_ or anything. You don't owe me shit," The sentences came out too strained and both men knew it. When it came to each other, they were rather sharp. It was both a curse and a blessing. "Yeah. You don't owe me shit." With those words echoing in his head, Aomine grabbed his hoodie and stood up.

Kagami's eyes were downcast. They were heavy with emotions—guilt, regret, everything in-between.

"Next time we see each other will be on the court," Said Aomine detachedly. "See you, Kagami. Don't get STD."

They exchanged a brief chuckle at the jab. Then, the night ended for them in a somewhat bittersweet note.

Kagami watched as Aomine's back grew further and further away. The entire time, he tightly clenched his fingers around the fabric of his joggers, his feet trembling with the desire to stand up and run after his young love. The brief one-on-one just a few weeks ago did nothing but reaffirm the feeling he so badly tried to push away for the past three years. Right now, he wanted to hug Aomine, kiss him and tell him that he loved him—tell him everything he wanted to say all those years ago.

But he couldn't. His tongue was tied and his throat was dry.

Kagami lowered his head and made a strangled noise. He missed his chance again when Aomine offered himself back at the hotel.

Would the gods be kind enough to grant him a third?

* * *

**Bonus:**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I'd like to congratulate the Timberwolves for their first pick this year and also what the fuck, did I foretell the future


	27. So Close Yet So Far

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think this is necessary but disclaimer: None of these OCs reflect any real person and the way I wrote these teams certainly don't reflect the actual teams. I don't think badly of any team!

_"And now for sports. The Minnesota Timberwolves are celebrating their victory against their long-time rival, Milwaukee Bucks on the back of their new rookie, Daiki Aomine. The match, which ended in a three-point victory for the Wolves, brought many fans on the edge of their seat as the two young athletes originating from Japan battled it out. Shintarou Midorima, aptly known as the Three-Point Demon, put on his best performance, scoring an impossible 100% of his three-pointer attempts. However, he was ultimately stopped due to..."_

"...ga... Taiga... Taiga!"

The jolt on the basketballer's shoulders was visible as he was snapped back to reality. With his lips moving unintelligibly, he stared at the man who was only covered in jeans, an unlit cigarette nestled on the corner of his lips.

The hotel room was dark and a little messy thanks to their earlier activity that involved two naked bodies and a lot of sweat. His clothes were strewn all over the floor, two basketballs spilling out of his duffel bag that had already been knocked over and one of his shoes somehow made it to the nightstand.

 _"Truly a man to watch. With 0.7 seconds to go, Daiki went to the free-throw line after being fouled. He intentionally rebounded the shot to the rim and slammed it in for the two points—buzzer beater. He denied the loss_ or _the overtime. The Wolves must be so happy they recruited this young man."_

"I said I'm going now," The clean-cut brunette with short hair said as he put on his tight-fitting shirt followed by a leather jacket. "Good luck on your match against the Wolves tomorrow." He smirked knowingly.

_"His performance has been exceptional. Strength, agility, stamina, he has it all. This man can play an entire match without a break and still have energy for more. We've seen it during his time with the Sun Rockers, we see it now in the NBA."_

"Hah. Thanks. Money's on the counter next to the door." Kagami rubbed his sore ass as the prostitute he hired grabbed the stack of cash and excused himself. It was around 3 AM at night when he left, so he shouldn't worry about the guy attracting any unwanted attention. The pesky paparazzi should already be asleep by now.

Picking up his underwear, Kagami briskly put it on while keeping an ear out on the news who was still talking about the Wolves' recent success after five consecutive losses against the Bucks for the past few seasons, no doubt Midorima played a part in it. The redhead settled on the red fabric of the single couch, leaned back against the plush headrest and slid open the window.

_"...recent influx in basketball athletes from Japan is such a curious thing. Since the beginning of NBA, while there have been some prolific Asian players like Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, the boys from the land of the rising sun has had a hard time playing for more than a year like we've seen with Yuta. And to suddenly have so many joining these teams feel like the beginning of new era."_

Mindlessly, Kagami fished a wallet out of his pocket and opened it to retrieve a stick that would undoubtedly get him in a sea of trouble. This one innocent, easily flattened fickle little thing that was best known as the cancer stick.

It wasn't a habit. Kagami would never let it take over him and jeopardise his career. At most, he'd only carry one at a time as to not sink lower than he already did. This was the first time in about six months that he had taken a drag, but he was really itching for it right now. Flicking the lighter to burn the tip, he inhaled the poison smoke into his lungs and let it fill himself to the brim before he puffed outside the window.

_"...Daiki and Taiga seem to be extremely close. Pictures have been taken of them walking together into the bar or restaurant whenever their teams happen to be in the same area. I believe we are in for a treat for the upcoming Wolves vs Heat this Thursday if a friendly rivalry is truly blooming between these two promising rookies."_

Kagami let out a choke followed by a series of cough at the thoughtless remark. The mention of the name 'Daiki' led him to growl at himself before he stuffed the cigarette in the ashtray, practically extinguishing and destroying it at the same time. Aomine would kill him if he found out.

_"Now, be honest. Who do you think will win?"_

In a futile attempt to undo the damage he had already done, he paced towards the bathroom and brushed his teeth with strong mint toothpaste violently. The smell crept into his nose, but it didn't erase the bitter taste of nicotine on his tongue, throat and lungs. It burned.

Spitting out the fluorite, Kagami gurgled on a glass of water and spat it out. Still, it remained.

_"Taiga's improvement has been impressive. His jumps are getting higher each game and... ah, who am I kidding. Daiki will definitely win."_

The redhead ground his teeth together in frustration before he lightly punched the marble surface of the sink basin. Then, he snapped his head to face his reflection. The sight that greeted made him flinch. He was still him... yet he felt so, _so_ dirty. Large hickeys peppered his shoulders, collarbones and undoubtedly his thighs too. Some of them were marks from three days ago, some from four. He didn't even remember when the last time he went a week without having a visible lovebite. It was all thanks to his well-paying job because no way in hell he'd suck some random guy's dick and risk getting STD. Or had his sexuality ratted out to the public.

_"Certainly a contender for Rookie of The Year. As much as I think Taiga is impressive, I feel like... there's still something inside him. We've seen him play offensively for a few minutes and boy, was he explosive. It makes me wonder if something is stopping him from going all out."_

"Ggh..." He choked out a pitiful noise. With his breathing laboured, Kagami pooled a handful of water in his hands and splashed it on the marks as if it'd help them disappear. He repeated the process over and over again until his whole body was drenched, but those marks persisted. If anything, they seemed even more prominent than before.

"Fuck... fuck..." The redhead sunk his head on the marble surface with only the sound of running water to keep him company. "Aomine..."

It was a plea. Maybe it was an apology. Or a cry for help. He didn't know anymore. His feelings were too jumbled to be told apart.

_"It's been three years now yet he still shows no sign of settling in. We have seen cases of great players landing in the wrong team and it makes me wonder if—"_

Not wanting to deal with his head any longer, Kagami turned off the TV, crawled into bed so he could get ready for tomorrow's game that certainly wouldn't be any different than yesterday's.

Sleep mercifully washed over him quickly. The next thing he opened himself to was his alarm clock screaming at him that it was already time to get up and get ready because the bus heading to their next away game was supposed to leave in two hours. Thank the lord they were sitting in the Pacers' area so the trip didn't have to be too long.

Kagami cleaned up his messy hotel room, took a shower to wash the grogginess from last night off him and tried not to look into the mirror, lest he broke down again. He zipped up his red Heat jacket over his shirt and not forgetting to pop the collar just in case some of the hickeys shone through again like last time.

Kagami then rushed downstairs with his two duffel bags in tow to grab breakfast and headed for the bus where most of his teammates already were. Some of them brusquely greeted him before chatting amongst themselves once more, leaving Kagami to stand on the sidelines against the bus.

The redhead sighed and turned on his phone to see a few messages from Kuroko wishing him good luck in his match later against the Wolves, but the whole time, he could feel piercing, judgemental eyes on him that made him reflexively zip up his jacket even further.

"Probably another gay sex." Some of them whispered off-handedly.

The comment made him cringe. He so badly wanted to confront them and ask if that made him less of a human being, but didn't. He was only a rookie here. One that the coach didn't particularly like. If he wanted to keep his spot, he just had to keep his head down.

"Morning, Taiga. Slept well?"

Kagami turned to see a friendly face. It was his fellow teammate, an African-American point guard called Grady, probably the only person he got along with. After seeing him, Kagami breathed out in relief and pocketed his phone to greet the high-five.

"Want some?" Grady opened his brown bag and revealed five hash-browns.

"Don't mind if I do!" The redhead laughed when his friend offered three of them. "Your wrist's okay now?" He asked in between bites.

"Yeah, I should be able to play today. So tired of warming the bench."

"It'll be good to have you on the court again. I miss your passes." Kagami grinned.

"You'll need me today more than ever," He elbowed his friend playfully. "Your friend's playing, right? He's kind of a sensation nowadays, taking all the spotlight."

"He's good." The redhead nodded with a gleam in his eyes that didn't go unnoticed.

"You're just as good. If only Jack would take you off the defense and let you loose, then you would've caught the media just like he did." Both of them sighed at that. "I'm not saying that defence isn't glamorous, but your strength lies in your offence. I don't understand what he's so scared of."

"Me outshining Harvey?" He replied with a snort after mentioning Heat's favourite star player.

"Yeah. Guess that's a thing."

Just as they shared a small pathetic laugh, they heard the mocking voice of someone from inside the bus. "Oi, you two, come in! And be careful, Grady. Tiger might infect you with last night's germs."

"Don't be a fuckwit, Ellis." Unlike Kagami, Grady had more footing in the team as a long-standing member, so this didn't count as crossing the line. "Seriously..."

"It's okay." Kagami offered a smile of gratitude. It felt good to at least have someone who had his back in the team. With a tap on the shoulder from Grady, they both boarded the bus that took them to Minnesota.

The game was scheduled to be at 4 PM and they arrived at 11 AM to unpack in a hotel and start doing some last-minute review. For the past few games, the Timberwolves had deployed Aomine in the beginning as a starter, took him off second quarter to give him some break and then put him back in for third, take him out again five minutes before it ended, then see if they needed him or not for the fourth.

It was fine and dandy. However, so far, no one had been able to effectively stop Aomine from doing whatever he wanted, thanks to how little playtime he had so far. The adjustment period had just kicked in, so not many were used to his playstyle yet. Kagami was afraid that the same fate would befall his team, so he raised his hand.

"What is it?" Jack asked impatiently with narrow eyes, arms crossed.

"Can you leave Aomi- uh, Daiki, to me? I've played him a lot before, so I know not only how to defend him but to also retaliate."

His coach exhaled sharply. "I keep telling you to just _defend_. It's not hard, is it, Tiger?"

"But—"

"Leave everything else to the big boys. You might think you're so good, being the first Japanese to get drafted and all, but don't let it get to your head. You're just a rookie," He wasted no time to reply. The room was quiet and beside Kagami, Grady tapped his shoulder reassuringly. "I'll just let you know that I chose you because of your jumps. I need you to block those shots and _nothing else_. If I see that you can no longer do that, I will not hesitate to put you on the inactive roster."

Kagami felt his blood boiling but he could do nothing except begrudgingly mutter a "yes sir" that went ignored. The team continued their review while Kagami curled his fingers and bit his lower lip in absolute frustration. This certainly wasn't what he expected, coming into NBA. Not homophobic teammates and a racist coach intent on putting him down.

"Breathe, Taiga." His friend whispered.

And that was enough for him to take a deep intake of air and uncurl his hands. 

.

Things were heating up in the Wolves' locker room.

The boys were rowdy as they put on their jackets and shoving their belongings into the provided storage area, all while loudly bantering about last night's TV series or the game ahead. In one corner, Aomine was busy on his phone, sending shit-talk through SMS to Kagami when he felt a hard slap on his ass.

"Oi!" The blunette rubbed his rump with a scowl.

"Stop texting! We're ready to go." His friend who donned a number 2 jersey under that jacket grabbed his wrist and pulled him along. 

"Get your head in the game, Dai. We're going up against Heat. You've been looking forward to this match ever since, like, when you got drafted, right?" Another male grinned.

"Pssh. I was just shit-talking Ka- Taiga before the game. He's not responding to me, though." Aomine put the device in his jacket pocket and headed into the stadium with everyone else. Aiden was already there, undoubtedly.

As Aomine adjusted his black arm sleeves, snapping it into place, they all walked into the mass of cheering crowd that he was already accustomed to. He could hear someone mentioning his name as the 'Unstoppable Panther' or something corny like that.

After some warmups and final huddle, Aomine paced towards the court with four others. They exchanged brief high-fives before the tallest member of the group, number 0, walked to the centre ring for the tip-off. Aomine's eyes darted to the bench where Kagami sat, his head lowered.

The bluehead sucked in a disappointed breath. He knew that the likelihood of Kagami being deployed as a starter was low, but he thought the guy would be able to talk some sense into his coach. Guess not. It was a shame that someone brimming with potential such as his rival was demoted as something less than a starter.

Aomine looked around the crowded stadium to spot a male with baby-blue hair sitting in the corner slurping his vanilla milkshake. It did take a while to find him, but with a little focus, he did it. He shot Kuroko a bright grin with his hands on his hips, then he focused back at the game.

Their first match against the Heat. He couldn't wait to see what laid in store. On the corner of his eyes, he spotted Harvey, the power forward for the team A.K.A the man to beat,

The tip-off began. The Heat got the first ball and the orange ball soon was thrown around from one hand to the other. Along with his team, Aomine chased after it.

Running in this stadium over this glossy wood made him feel like he could fly. Excitement rushed through him as his eyes observed the ball that flew into the ring. Hearing the squeaking of sneakers, the barking of his teammates and the opponents, the crowd cheering, all of it was right. It was perfect. _This_ was where he truly belonged.

"Daiki!" His teammate threw the ball towards him. The satisfying 'slap' as it landed right into Aomine's hands made him grin. He grabbed it, lunged forward with his body as bent over as it could get. His blue eyes gleamed brightly as he tunnel-visioned the goal. There were five men between him and it, but with his allies, he didn't have to worry. He didn't have to do this alone. Every single person here was capable of handling themselves. And no one would ever give up. He didn't have to worry about going all out only for everyone to falter.

Aomine bounced the ball between someone's legs only to grab it again. Then, he ran towards the ring, threw it to his opponent's left while he spun to the right and used his long arms to fetch it back into his waiting hands. One more step, he jumped and let the ball go.

 _"Daiki with the beautiful lay-up past Harvey and Johnson! His movements are so irregular, I can only imagine how taken aback his first-time opponents might be."_ Said one of the commentators in the isolated booth. No one in the space could hear them, but those tuning in from the TV could.

_"Well, that's the thing. Daiki is not a big man, but he uses it to his advantage. There's just absolutely no pattern to his movement, how would you go about defending him?"_

_"We have seen players getting accustomed to him, but we absolutely cannot sleep on the rest of the Wolves. He can do what he can all thanks to his team creating space for him. Give him one opening and he will mercilessly take advantage of it. And his team? They're a masterclass of how to do just that."_

"You're up next." Jack slapped Kagami's back, jolting him alive. The moment the redhead got to his feet, his eyes instantly locked with Aomine's who then smirked and turned around to join his teammates.

Something clogged in Kagami's heart as he paced towards the court. Aomine's plays had always been a conversation starter, but today, he was especially so. He was so free, so unrestrained and so bright. It was as if he was issuing a challenge directly to Kagami who wasn't able to answer it. He wasn't allowed to.

Jack's eyes were piercing behind him, and so were the men who were supposed to be his allies. Still had yet to be given the clearance to join in the fray, Grady sat on the bench. As a result. Kagami felt outnumbered. This wasn't a 5v5. It was 9v1. He was alone.

The Heat was 10 points behind and Kagami felt the weight of the entire team on his back. There was only one reason why he was on the court and that was to turn the momentum to his team's favour. But right now, he felt suffocated. Like he was a one-man army sent to do the impossible.

"Focus, Bakagami." Aomine tapped his friend's shoulder and offered a grin. It was one free of wrinkle, one so comforting and charming, it made Kagami feel like he could breathe again. Strange how the only person who soothed him was a member of the opposing team.

.

Kuroko could sense the tension in the air the moment Kagami stepped into the field. It didn't help that the media hyped these two up yesterday as the attacker and defender rivals to watch. Funny because anyone who knew these two blockheaded fools could see that Kagami, too, was an attacker. There were no two ways about it.

In fact, the reason why Kagami's name wasn't known beyond the 'all-rounder Japanese' was because of how restrained he had been. Seeing his plays up close always confirmed that. Alas, there was nothing anyone could do about it. Kuroko didn't like it either, hence why he hoped that Kagami would be transferred to another team soon.

The Wolves was in a pretty good shape, though. It was clear that Aomine was that one piece of the puzzle that sorely stuck out, waiting to be hammered into place. However, they had always been known as the all-rounder team who didn't have anyone excelling at attack for the past few seasons. The arrival of Aomine, the offence specialist, created turbulence. As a result, everyone rallied around him.

They played such amazing support roles—providing screens, distractions and spacemakers who could reliably score when the time called for it. Without them, Aomine would never be able to do what he could. Seeing the blunette zapping through the court, spinning and scoring with his otherworldly manoeuvre only proved that.

Kagami didn't look like he wanted to lose either. Even though he was restricted to defensive plays, he stopped Aomine _good_. The crowd gasped when the number 10 threw the ball from behind his back only for Kagami to slam it down, sending it straight to his teammate. The chant 'Defense! Defense!' became prominent as the Heat's power forward, Harvey slammed it in the ring, effectively shortening the 10 point gap.

And it remained that way for the remainder of the second quarter. Everyone left the two to face off. Kuroko realised that the years had done nothing to reduce the sparks that flew whenever the two played. If before they converged, now they clashed. No one understood Aomine's playstyle yet, but Kagami? He knew it like the back of his hand. The redhead kept up with the blunette the entire time. He read all his friend's feints and flashy streetball moves. And although Aomine could pass him eventually most of the time, no one had been able to stop Aomine the way Kagami could.

A small smile grew on Kuroko's lips. The two were truly hypnotic. 

.

 _"Taiga has been doing_ exceptionally _well on the defence here. He has stopped many of Daiki's shot attempts and creating those invaluable turnovers."_

_"Unbelievable play from these two rookies. I still don't understand how Taiga can read most of Daiki's feints. That's not something that happens overnight. They must've played against each other off-court more than what the media portrays."_

"Hah. Try three years." Wakamatsu snorted at the commentator's comment.

"So no one knows that they're all friends..." Sakurai added.

"They probably just don't wanna cause too much sensation. There's enough media attention on them as it stands, so telling the world that they're all friends would be akin to throwing firewood to the flame." Said Imayoshi while Momoi nodded in agreement at the insight.

_"Harvey, again with his powerful dunk! The Heat is really turning the momentum in their favour here. Two-point lead for them at the end of the second quarter."_

Everyone intently watched the match as soon as the third quarter started, all while exchanging messages with Susa who was still in Kyoto at the time. No one wanted to miss this match between the two high school rivals they all loved.

.

It was a great match, Aomine thought. Even after playing matches after matches in the professional team, he had yet to find the same intensity such as this. It wasn't that those guys were less talented than Kagami, it was just his rival really knew how to rile him up.

"He's good." One of Aomine's teammates whispered during their time-out halfway through the third quarter. The score had been bouncing back and forth for a while now.

"What did I tell you? He's not a defensive player, so he's got that ferocity. Watch your back." Aomine wiped the sweat off the lower part of his face using his jersey, a wide smirk plastered on his face. After a good six months of using English to communicate, he was more or less accustomed to it now.

"Hm... If he's so good at offence, why isn't he playing that position?"

"Fuck if I know. His stupid coach is holding him down."

"Jack Westmore, right?" One of the five asked. "Didn't he get in that scandal a few years ago? Like, racist slurs or something."

"Ahh, yeah. That time on the bus. It was a big thing back then but it kinda got brushed off after a while. Kinda stupid, if you ask me."

"Enough chitchat, boys! Get back to it. Dai, you stay here and recuperate. Good work." Aiden made a _shoo_ ing gesture with his hand as he put down the clipboard detailing their discussion earlier.

Racist?

Aomine glanced towards Kagami who still looked so uncomfortable in his own skin. Now that he looked at it, the redhead looked so... distant, from the rest of his team. If Jack really was racist as his friends said, then could it be that the rest of them were like that as well?

His rival avoided his glance and instead, looked at a shorter African-American man sitting on the bench. Grady gave him a firm nod, and instantly Kagami nodded back. Then, the third quarter began. From the bench, Aomine observed the match. Harvey had a lot of upper body strength and he was bigger, taller than Kagami. His playstyle was a lot of brute force that landed his fair share of fouls. While it got the job done, Aomine didn't like it.

In all honesty, Harvey looked like a sleazy scumbag from that team Kirisaki Daichi. He didn't care that he hurt his opponents, accidentally or not and showed little sportsmanship. In fact, he looked at everyone else like they were beneath him. He had always been infamous for that attitude.

Aiden sent him back to the field six minutes into the third quarter and closely observed Aomine's playstyle. There was no doubt that he was skilled, but a lot had to be addressed when it came to his team play ability. It was clear that this man had little talent in that department which could prove to be troublesome in the future. So far, they made do with having everyone play around him, but eventually, that trick would get old. Everyone would adjust to Aomine's style and learn to read him better until he ran out of gimmicks. 

It was either Aomine had to evolve even further—find his footing in the NBA world and shine as a lone wolf or he must have a partner whom he could rely on.

As Aomine broke past Kagami and did a one-handed freestyle throw that sent the crowd roaring, he decided to worry about that later. This man's play was too enchanting to miss.

.

The crowd had mostly thinned out thirty minutes after the game ended. The clamouring and footsteps faded away, leaving the members of each team to pack up and leave their respective locker rooms. Aomine donned his dark greyish-blue hoodie with white 'WOLVES' written on the back plus joggers of the same colour.

He looked at himself in the mirror, then groaned when he saw how messy his hair was. It was just his luck that his current teammates loved ruffling his hair too. It must've been because most members were bald or had coarse hair, definitely not nice to touch. After every single victory, everyone made it a habit to take turns with his damn hair.

Splashing water onto his face, Aomine exhaled out the remainder of his fatigue. They won by five points today in an intense match. In a couple of days, they'd go against the Warriors where Kise was and he could hardly wait for it. With a pleased grin, he half-skipped out of the bathroom. The only thing that would've made his day better was if Kagami could go all-out, but he understood why the redhead wasn't able to do that.

The thought of Kagami made him stop in his track. What his teammates said earlier about Jack being a racist asshole rang in his head as he looked out the window where the Heat bus sat. Something didn't feel right.

Aomine glanced back towards his friends who were waving at him, telling him to get his ass back there, but he hesitated.

"Go first. I'll be five minutes." With that, he made his way towards the guest locker room to see that it was empty. No... wait.

Aomine peered through the slightly open door to see a figure sitting hunched towards the wall, towel covering his head. He had his Heat jacket on, but Aomine could tell who it was without having to spend more than one second. It was Kagami. His shoulders were shaking and from that distance, his shaky breaths could be heard.

Was he crying? Aomine didn't dare speculate. He didn't want to imagine tears in those beautiful red eyes, so he tried his best to imagine seething anger in its place. Anger because of his loss and helplessness, not tears of... the unimaginable. Guilt, perhaps. Or his teammates lashing at him for not being able to give them a victory.

Pained, Aomine looked away from the sight and opted to lean against the wall next to the door. He knew that if he walked in now, Kagami would just run away from him.

"Daiki?" A soft voice could be heard from next to him. Lifting his head up towards the source, he saw Grady. "Is Taiga..."

He nodded curtly before pushing himself off the wall, grabbing the guy by his collar and shoving him against the wall. "What the _fuck_ did you guys do to him?" He hissed, voice quiet so Kagami wouldn't be able to hear him. "Kagami... He'd never—He'd never..." Aomine stammered, blue eyes narrowing in pain.

"I'm sorry," Grady exhaled sadly. "The team isn't a good fit for him. Jack's a racist cunt and everyone else... they..." He paused momentarily. "Well, _judgemental_. And Harvey... Let's not even start with that asshole."

Seeing the pure grief in his tone made Aomine unclench the fabric and letting him go. "They know that he's...?"

"Gay. Yeah." 

"...Fuck..." The blunette cursed. The situation was way worse than he expected.

"Everyone turned against him earlier. I tried telling them that it's _our_ fault as a team, but they have too much pride to admit that. Daiki, I know you two are close, so—Daiki!" Grady raised his voice the moment a blur of blue zapped past him. The male's reflex was thankfully quick enough to grab the Wolves' player's wrist.

"Let me go! I'll fucking kill 'em all! Who do they think they are!?" Aomine's voice was strained as he tried to struggle out of Grady's grip. The African American might be shorter but he was far stockier.

"That's not gonna solve anything. Calm down, man!"

"What's going on?" Kagami emerged out of the locker room, his eyes were red and not in the good way. The horrific sight made Aomine flinch and he struggled even harder. "Aomine? Shouldn't you be with—"

"Names. Give me their fucking names and I'll break their fucking legs. No one has the right to..." He trembled. "...To... to extinguish your light like that..."

There was a mix of emotion in Kagami's expression before he violently wiped his wet eyes. "Leave it. This is _my_ problem."

"But—"

"I don't need your help." Kagami's voice was still shaky as he pulled further and further away from Aomine's helping hand. "Don't throw away what you have just to defend me. Just how you said I owe you nothing, you don't owe me shit as well."

Clearly offended by that thoughtless remark, Aomine scoffed and reverted to Japanese. "Are you implying that I'm only doing this because I feel like I _owe_ you? What, just because you dealt with my fucking pain in the ass back then, that means somehow, that pressured me to take your side? Kagami, you fucking said it yourself. You don't help people because you feel _responsible_ for them. You help them because they're your _friend_."

Looked like that hit the bull's eye. Kagami was promptly silenced.

"And I'm your _friend_ , ain't I?" Now spoken in English, Aomine felt his throat clogging up. At the overwhelming emotion, he switched tongue once more. "How long do you want to shut me out for, Kagami? For god's sake, I can't help if you don't tell me what's going on! I had to find out about your whole bullshit of a team from someone else!?"

"Aomine..." The redhead's eyes stung. Again, tears pooled on the corners, but it disappeared the moment he took a sharp breath. "You're right. I'm sorry. I was... I was just... upset. I had no right to accuse you like that."

Seeing the distraught expression, the blunette calmed down as well. Grady's hands loosened on him. "It's fine. Don't let yourself be stepped all over like this, Kagami. No dream is worth the amount of pain you're being put through."

"Yeah... I know. I'll do something about it. Somehow." Kagami sniffed.

"Can you at least tell me why you're keeping secrets from me?"

"I'm... not ready. I'm sorry, Aomine. I'm going to need some time to sort my head out. I feel so out of my depth. Like this isn't even my own skin. I can't even trust myself, let alone someone else." His voice was still a little shaky, but he managed to not break. The flimsy string that held his pieces together held firm for now.

Aomine wasted no time in taking a step forward and pulling Kagami into a crushing hug that took the other by surprise. "Shit. Seeing you like this breaks my heart, you know, Bakagami?"

For a moment, Kagami's body melted in Aomine's arms. A few seconds ticked on with the two enjoying each other's warmth, but it felt like hours for them. This skinship was something they sorely missed.

When they pulled away, Kagami had a small smile on his lips. It was a good enough sight for Aomine's heart to still.

"Thanks, Aomine," He said sheepishly before he took a deep breath to calm himself. "Okay, it's time for me to go. I'll... talk to you later."

"Yeah. See ya."

With a sigh, Kagami turned away and then he walked past his friend, his rival, his love. Grady turned to follow him too, but Aomine grabbed him.

"Phone."

The African-American blinked in confusion but fished his device out of his pocket anyway. Aomine typed up a series of number, then he handed it back to him.

"Take care of Kagami for me. If it gets worse, let me know."

"Will do." Said Grady just in time for two of Aomine's friends to walk towards them. "See you, man. Take care."

"What's this, conspiring with the enemy? C'mon, we're leaving soon." Two hands ruffled his hair, making him grumble.

Looking back at the pair, he gave an unexpected grin instead of a scowl. "You know, you guys are really cool."

"Haah? Where'd that come from!? Are you sick, Dai?" One of them, a taller African-American put him in a headlock as they walked through the hallway towards the bus bay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I SWEAR THEY WILL GET TOGETHER SOON, IN ABOUT..... *LOOKS AT MY CHAPTER OUTLINES*
> 
> Anyway, it's gonna happen soon so please bear with me uwu <3 Thanks for reading as always.


	28. A United Will

The playoff that year consisted of sixteen teams, eight from each conference. It became a big deal that the teams that drafted one of these crazy Japanese made it. The media talked about the upcoming Eastern bracket for Bucks who had Midorima, Heat with Kagami and Raptors with the deadly duo Murasakibara and Himuro who took the professional world by storm. Those two quickly rose up the ladders as one of the most prolific dynamic duos of the year due to how well they played together during the regular season. The sceptics who thought that Raptors made a huge mistake by trading off their best player to the Knicks ate their words and decided that the 'gamble' the Toronto team made paid off.

Midorima and Kagami remained a conversational piece too, but the team that everyone had their eyes on was the Raptors. Because while the two were amazing in their own rights, they couldn't come close to stirring the degree of excitement that those pair could. The amount of assists they made to each other was scary, and there was also Himuro who somehow managed to excite Murasakibara, making him play at a high level that placed him up there as a contender for the Defensive Player of The Year.

And of course, they couldn't forget the Western conference because the Clippers had a smooth season with Akashi, arguably one of the best playmakers they had ever seen; someone whose charisma charmed the public while also instilling fear. This team wasn't a weak team, so the arrival of Akashi only made them that much stronger. Warriors had Kise who also had some crazy moments of his own by copying other people's style, though everyone kind of thought that he was a Westerner at first glance.

One couldn't talk about the Western Conference without Aomine of the Timberwolves. He was a living highlight reel with his exciting shots and playstyle. Although he was a ball hog, no one really complained as long as he kept playing the way he did. He was quickly known as the man who couldn't be defended, considering the sick manoeuvres he could pull with ease.

The Heat drew the short end of the stick by going up against the Raptors for their first best-of-seven playoff match. After a valiant effort and a strange decrease in intensity from Kagami after every time they were defeated, the Heat lost 2-5.

The Bucks rose up the ladder while maintaining an impressive record only to fall before the Toronto Raptors in the conference finals. The combination of Murasakibara and Himuro truly couldn't be underestimated.

In the other bracket, all three teams with the Japs rose up to the conference semifinals. In an exciting and nail-biting 3-4 match, the Clippers lost against their rival, the Lakers. In the end, the combined might of the infamous team was just too much for them to handle.

And in the other side, the Wolves and Warriors battled it out with the former emerging victorious in a 5-2 game. The Daiki vs Daiki definitely got everyone pumped up. However, the Wolves were a lot better at making space for their ace, hence why they snagged the win.

It was a crazy season. Those who said Lakers would undoubtedly win like last year quickly shut up when Wolves beat them 4-3 in the conference finals. Some said it was a fluke but others, not so much. Aomine played his best game, scoring an average of 28.3 points per game against that particular opponent.

The stage was set for Toronto vs Minnesota and all eyes fell on the three Japanese. Would the unstoppable scorer be stopped by the two insane defender duo?

They didn't have to wait long for the answer.

.

Aomine had almost forgotten how good this pair was. Nearing the end of high school, they were the team that caused the most problem for Touou. Sure, by that time, Kise had grown and Akashi was still crazy good, but no one pissed them off more than Yosen could. They were always in your face with their defence that was made well-rounded by Himuro's versatility.

Himuro spun around a Wolves player and threw the ball to the other side without even looking that way. Sure enough, it landed right in the giant's large palms who practically crashed into everyone like they were bowling pins. He did it in a way that didn't reward him that offensive foul until he easily dunked it with his overwhelming power.

It was annoying. _Real_ annoying.

This combination never ceased to get under Aomine's skin. There was something so... distasteful about them. They played so well around each other, it reminded Aomine of how he used to play with Kagami. How nice it must be to be reunited... and here he was, alone. Kagami was out there with his asshole of a team and—

Fuck. Aomine just wanted to _scream_. With a pair of wild eyes, he hissed and dashed forward the way he would if Kagami was around. He didn't even realise how much he had been holding back until he took one step too far and ran past the ball his teammate passed him. The round object flew outside the line.

And here lied the Wolves' problem.

They didn't have a main player to support their scorer or understand how he performed under pressure. They didn't know that he could get even faster, even crazier. As a result, there was a lot of mistiming on their passes that led to catastrophic turnovers.

"Is there something you want to say, Daiki?" Aiden asked during their timeout. Currently, the two teams were tied at 3-3, so this was the tiebreaker.

The blunette's feet tapped the ground restlessly. "Nothing can rile me up as much as those two can. They're the _worst_ together."

"Is this some sort of racial competition thing I'm not aware of?"

"No. Nothing like that." Despite the sweat that dripped down his body, he was still rearing to go. "I just hate that combination. Anyway, get me back onto the court. I don't like sucking my thumb here."

"No." Aiden replied sharply. "I've seen you play last quarter. With you, we stand less chance of winning."

"What!?" The blunette hissed.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way. The team already has a difficult time reading your moves and now, you're just getting even more unpredictable. This is not the time to experiment."

It was clear to everyone that Aomine's sudden energy outburst was hurting the team's chemistry, so they decided to bench their rookie who scowled. Aomine had to admit, though, seeing the senior players on the court together was a great learning experience. They had great synergy with each other, something that was clearly missing when he was put in.

"I see potential in you, Daiki. That's why I drafted you. I know everyone talks about your scoring prowess, but you have a long way to go when it comes to teamplay. Sure, you can pass if you want to, but just passing isn't enough. You need to play around your teammates and you're not built for that." Aiden asked some time during the third quarter.

"I know." He admitted with a sigh.

"Every ace has their right-hand man. The Robin to their Batman," Aiden crossed his arms and glanced at his newest addition. "We need to find one for you."

The blunette clenched the fabric of his joggers and he took one large gulp of water from the bottle. Once upon a time, he had one. But now, that man belonged to another team—one that didn't value him. "Yeah."

"So talk to me. What are you looking for in your Robin?"

"Someone who can keep up with me." He simply replied. When his coach stared at him questioningly, he leaned back and rubbed the back of his head. "A 'good' player isn't enough. I want someone who I can talk to with basket. Someone I can read and someone who can read me. Like telepathy, you know?"

"So you need a smart player to back you up."

"Not necessarily..." He muttered. "If they're too smart, I won't be able to follow them. It'll just be a one-way street."

"Well, I'm your coach. I'll work something out for you. If you got your eyes on anyone, let me know. Being a ball hog is fine as long as you're not Ricky Davis." Aiden tapped Aomine's shoulder. The basketball player nodded in response. "You think you can find anyone like that?" He tilted his head towards Murasakibara and Himuro, again with their enchanting play.

"Yeah. I got one when I was in high school. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here. He's my reason for playing."

"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows.

"It's an old story. I don't think the feeling is mutual. Not anymore." He shrugged at the memory of Kagami. Cold and distant Kagami who once set his body aflame. Time really had a way with people.

"I take it he didn't go pro?"

Aomine only chuckled at that before he focused on the game once more. "C'mon, Hakim! Don't let them get past you!"

He wouldn't admit that Kagami was his dream partner. Not when there was still lingering tension between them that he suspected would blow up if not addressed. Every time they texted, called or met, Aomine always felt like there was a ticking time bomb attached to them. One day, it'd seriously hurt both of them. However, just like he said, nothing could be a one-way street. Aomine was serious about reconnecting but all Kagami did was push him away.

It was infuriating. If he was in his right mind, he'd shake answers out of the guy, but he couldn't do anything now. Maybe their time was up. Maybe his fear was right when it told him that one day, Kagami would leave him the way Kazuhiro left Yoko. Boy, was Aomine glad he got out of that slump. Had he still been balls deep in depression, he'd be wailing right now. In saying that, of course thinking about the possibility of losing Kagami still hurt like hell.

The Wolves lost that day and ultimately, the finals.

"Think about what you want, Daiki." Aiden said after the team had cooled down. In the end, Aomine didn't play for a whole two quarters which came as a surprise to everyone. However, he had to agree that it was the right choice. In a way, not only did sitting down led him to cool his head, but it also made him think about what he really wanted out of a partner in court.

"Slackin' today, eh Daiki?" Someone slapped the blunette's back the moment he entered the bus.

"Leave the rookie alone, Jay. He's gonna fall apart if you keep hittin' him like that. Look at how skinny he is!"

"Fuck off." Aomine rolled his eyes at the jab. It was true that his teammates were far bigger than him. They were taller, more muscular. In fact, Aomine was easily the leanest one of the bunch. "And stop smoking that shit. It'll screw you up. You can barely keep up with the Raptors as is."

Hakim, the biggest of the bunch scoffed as he whiffed out a breath. "We did better without you. Just don't make it a habit to hold us back, yeah? Here." He offered the rolled paper of weed.

Despite the crude words, Aomine knew it was just how everyone joked with each other. They loved insulting and challenging one another albeit in an insensitive manner. "Keep your weed to yourself. I don't wanna die of heart attack yet, old man."

"Once in a while is fine. Live a little, Dai! It's the end of the season anyway." Jay, a spunky player shorter than Hakim grinned as he put a smoke of his own between his lips. "I know, why don't you come with us to the club later? I'll introduce you to the ladies."

"And what 'bout the piercing, dude? You gettin' one, right?" Hakim stood up and tugged on Aomine's earlobe. "Lookin' a bit lonely here like your sex life." He grinned, then elbowed Aomine on the side. "What's up? You don't look so hot."

Noticing that he hadn't managed to keep the scowl off his face, he clicked his tongue.

"Pissed you didn't get to play the entire game?" Jay put his arm around Aomine's back and puffed smoke into his face.

In response, the blunette flinched and shoved his teammate away from him. "No, aren't you guys angry!? We lost. I don't understand why you're celebrating." As a player, Aomine hated losing. _Especially_ against his own friends.

"Shit, calm down, dude. This is our first time in the finals after five years, of course, we're happy." Someone quipped.

"But is getting in the finals really enough? Don't you guys wanna _win_?" Yes, this team might be all fun and games with their light-heartedness, but it was that exact same attitude that rubbed Aomine the wrong way.

"Boys!" Aiden screamed at all of them who jumped, practically shattering the tension. "What did I tell you about smoking weed? Put them away! Stop trying to drag Daiki into the dark side with your drugs and your hookers." It was mostly a joke. These guys only used the drugs sparingly when it was off-season as to not jeopardise their career. Still, Aomine thought Aiden was being a bit too lax.

At the round of boos, Aomine's shoulders slumped. No matter how rowdy and unruly this group was, it beat having racist and homophobic teammates. Aomine would take that lack of drive to win over what Kagami had to deal with any time of the day.

.

_Toronto Raptors Claws Themselves To Victory!_

That was pretty much the hot news for the next few days after the NBA finals ended in a 4-3 victory for the Raptors. It was a close game that got people wondering why exactly Aomine was benched for more than half the time.

 _Daiki: Too Good For His Own Good?_ was another popular title. It was thanks to his sudden spike in individual performance that threw everything off balance during the finals.

"You're hogging all the spotlight, Aominecchi! Give the rest of us some space too!" Kise whined while Aomine dropped the magazine and took a sip of his beer.

"Hey, don't pick on me. Himuro and Murasakibara are even worse!" He pointed at the two men who were busy cuddling in the corner. On Aomine's lap was Maru who was purring in contentment at the pats given to her courtesy of Kise and Kuroko. "And besides, you're always so lovey-dovey, how come your team doesn't know you're an item!?"

"We know when to flaunt it." Himuro brushed the question off with a chuckle.

"I'm very surprised you lost against the Lakers, Akashi-kun. I know they're good, especially with Atkins finally recovering from his injuries, but to think that they defeated you..."

"It was our fault as a team. I must say it was disappointing." Akashi narrowed his eyes. "They were lazy. None of them had any motivation to play because Lowe was out and they think it's just natural that they'd lose. Our plays were full of holes, we lost and that was on us."

"Ah, so even you encounter problems in your team. As I suspect, none of these will be smooth sailing," Midorima adjusted his glasses before turning towards his other friends. "And what about the rest of you?"

"All good here." Himuro gave a thumb's up. "Though you guys might want to check with Taiga. He's had a rough past few years with the Heat."

"The sack of shit, good for nothing team. Can't see potential even if it's dangled in front of them." Aomine sharply added with a hostile hiss. "I'll fucking crush them into the ground next year."

The entire room fell silent. While they weren't completely oblivious to the discrimination Kagami faced in his team, they began to wonder if something happened to rile Aomine up so much like that.

"Never thought Kagami's such a pansy, letting himself be stepped all over like that. That ain't the Kagami I know." He continued, leading to a long silence.

Ever since that confrontation a few months ago, there had been no news from Kagami. They still talked to each other, of course. However, there had been no word spoken about the situation in his team. Grady still had yet to contact him, though, which gave him a peace of mind. It meant things had yet to escalated and god, he hoped it wouldn't.

The quiet was broken by the doorbell.

Kise was too happy to take it and from the entrance, walked in Kagami who looked nothing like the one he saw in that year's playoff. He had a smile and a gleam in his eyes. He was well-rested.

"Taiga!" Himuro waved at him from the couch but made no move to come hug him thanks to Murasakibara laying on his lap while lazily munching on some chocolate bar.

"Glad you can make it, Kagami-kun. It's been a while." Kuroko smiled.

"Yeah, yeah. It really has. Sorry I dropped out." He took off his jacket and put it on the coat hanger before joining the others. "I haven't said this in person, so I will now. Congrats on winning, Tatsuya. You two did crazy good."

"Thanks, Taiga."

Before anything more could be said, a figure came bursting from the door and placed itself right onto Kuroko's lap at a terrifying speed. "Tetsu-kuuuuun! I've missed you!"

"Hello, Satsuki. We have been waiting for you." The soft-spoken male smiled before they exchanged a quick peck.

"Kagamin! So you made it!" She hopped excitedly towards the redhead and gave him a crushing hug. "We've been so worried about you! Geez, stop disappearing on us like that, especially when you're having a hard time."

Everyone immediately chimed in agreement, overwhelming the poor thing who only said promises to not do the same thing again.

"Great, everyone's here now." Akashi stood up after doing a quick headcount. Kagami was busy with Maru too, spoiling the lucky little thing with lots of affection. "Are we ready to head off?"

"Ready!" Satsuki, who already had her light-make up done, grinned. "It's so exciting, seeing a full house. Maru's here too! We'll have so much fun!"

As planned a few months ago, the group of nine headed to the nearest bar in the Beverly Hills which was unnecessarily extravagant. Since most of them had the cash anyway, they decided to splurge. They wore smart casual outfit, but since almost everyone recognised them immediately, they were allowed in without any dramas.

They were all swarmed by men and women who wanted their signatures or hugs. Kise being Kise, he humoured them until Kuroko had to personally drag him away from the sea of bodies. Midorima and Akashi preferred to ignore everyone while Kagami got flustered at the attention.

"Hey, now." Aomine grinned when a pair of tits squeezed his sides. As gently as possible, he tried to ease the women away from him but to no avail. They were stuck to him like glue.

In the end, Kuroko had to rescue him too. They got into their private room in one piece, somehow. All of them were quick to purchase some alcohol and lounge around while talking about anything and everything. The entire time, the two couples between them were attached on the hip, never once letting go of each other and it was enough to make Aomine gag.

"Truly no shame..." Midorima adjusted his glasses.

"What're you talking about, Midorimacchi? Someone who isn't single doesn't get to talk." Kise poked at the grumpy greenhead who jumped.

"Ohoh," Aomine gave him a shit-eating grin. Maru popped out of his buttoned-up suit jacket with an endearing meow that made Satsuki go 'awww'. "Who is it, heartbreaker?"

"N-none of your business! Kise, I can't believe your loose mouth! At least I don't shuffle through three different girls in the span of five months!"

"O-oi! That's low blow, Midorimacchi!"

Everyone else laughed at the pair who certainly had their fair share of love in their lives. What they didn't expect was _Midorima_ , of all people, to be with anyone. They grilled him about this lucky person but in the end, they got nothing except the fact that he was dating some lady he met in the gym or something. Apparently she was a medical student. A nerd for a nerd. How fitting.

"Uhm!" When the laughter died down, Kagami interrupted. He was nervously thumbing his beverage. In fact, he had been rather quite for the last few minutes. "I have something to tell you guys." Taking a deep breath, he tried to ignore everyone's eyes on him. "I'm... taking a break. From basketball."

Silence.

Then a loud, "Huuuh!?" From Aomine who got to his feet and plopped next to his friend. "What the hell?"

Kagami sighed. "I've been thinking about it. I'm sure you guys know about my... terrible relationship with my teammates. While it hasn't worsened, it hasn't gotten better either. So I decided that maybe I need a break."

"This is a surprise." Kuroko widened his eyes as did everyone else.

"Have you considered going public, Kagami?" Akashi set down his drink.

"I thought that, but I don't really wanna deal with the media hounding me more than they already do. Besides, I'd like to enjoy my break in relative peace and not with stalkers following my every move. Who knows, maybe this will blow over and I'll be able to play for real again when I return." Before anyone can speak up, he holds his hands up. "I know what you're gonna say. 'It's not gonna change anything'. Maybe not, but who knows, maybe my long break will make Jack trade me to another team."

"Kagamin, this is something that should be taken seriously. He's making you so unhappy, you're taking a break? I don't think it's wise to leave it be."

"Yeah, but I'm here to play basket, not get involved in this political bullshit! I don't wanna speak in front of _hundreds_. I'll just freeze up and make myself look stupid!" The redhead said with frustration. "Trust me, I hate this too, but I just can't. I'm not Kise or Akashi. I can't just _talk_."

Aomine put an arm around his distressed friend's shoulder and tapped it. The contact, once again, calmed Kagami down. He fidgeted with the empty beer glass in his hands as he tried to look anywhere but at Aomine. "I get where you're coming from, but this has gotten too far. They fucking blamed you for losing, Kagami." The feline, which had been resting on Aomine's shoulder now crawled to Kagami's lap and nuzzled him as if sensing the other's distress.

"That was because I said I can handle—"

"Sounds like Stockholm's syndrome to me." Kise idly remarked, his eyes sharp.

"Certainly." Midorima adjusted his glasses. "Kagami, it's not your fault that you lost. No matter how well you can 'handle' Aomine, no one man can carry the entire team. This justification of 'it's my fault because I said that I can do it' means that they have brainwashed you. This is not laughing matter anymore."

Kuroko looked _furious._ His eyes were dark and fists clenched on his lap as he stared at Kagami. Somehow, his voice remained calm. "Kagami-kun, you are right to take a break. I hope you will come to an understanding that this shouldn't be left alone. If you don't do anything about it, someone else will eventually fall victim too." He muttered, leaning forward while Satsuki rubbed comforting little circles on the back of her boyfriend's palm. "You have to come forward, sooner or later."

"I know it's hard, but aside from you, no one else can say anything about it. It'll just be brushed off as petty accusation." Himuro added.

Biting his lower lip, Kagami angled his head down.

"At least think about it, Kagamin. We just want the best for you." The only female in the group said with a sad voice.

"Yeah, I just gotta calm myself down. I'm not thinking straight, I know that much." He sighed, placing his empty glass back on the table and used his free hand to stroke Maru's soft fur. "Anyway, I'll stay at my dad's for the time being."

"Santa Monica, right?" Aomine chimed in. When Kagami nodded, he grinned. "Hey, you remember that promise?"

"Huh?" He blinked.

"Oooh, food's here!" Kise disrupted their silent conversation the moment some fries and chicken skewers were placed on their desk. The waiters didn't forget to give them a plate of smoked salmon too, Maru's favourite.

"I haven't seen Tobyn in a while. Is he doing okay?" Himuro was now next to his old friend, Murasakibara still joined at the hips.

"Yeah, he's good. We're keeping in touch. That reminds me," Kagami tugged on Aomine's sleeve. "I need to introduce you to my dad. He's been asking to see you and get your sign."

"Hah! So even your dad is my fan. Sure, why not? It's only ten minutes away by car, right? Oh, speaking of car, I heard you have your license. What car do you drive?"

"Old school Mustang Boss 429. I don't get to use it often, though. So it's just sitting in the garage. I swear, if it doesn't start, I'm the one to blame." He laughed. "And what about you, planning to get one?"

"Probably a bike. Car's not really my thing. Actually, I'm planning to get my license over the break."

"What, you gonna woo some chicks with it?" He lightly punched Aomine's shoulder who laughed at the jab.

"Man, if I say yes, my team's gonna be so proud of me. They've been dying to get me to one of these 'hookers' of theirs. I like tits, but I don't want sloppy seconds, thanks." He snorted, but when he turned towards Kagami, he noticed that the redhead's smile faltered. Instead, it was replaced with stiff pursed lips. "What?"

"Huh? N-nothing." He rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, 'course you don't want some slut, huh. Who knows what germs they carry."

Instead of replying, Aomine frowned. "You okay, dude?" He pressed closer towards Kagami until their shoulders touched.

The reaction was immediate. Kagami flinched and he scooted away reflexively. "Y-yeah. I—"

"Aah, Momocchi! You've had too much to drink, that's enough!" Once again, Kise disrupted the pair. The blond was on the bar where Satsuki downed another shot of something that she shouldn't put in her mouth.

"Oi, Sat'ski!" Aomine hopped off the couch and took long strides towards his friend who was very clearly intoxicated.

"'m fine... look, Midorin is even worse!" She giggled, her face beet red. True enough, Midorima was practically passed out, slumped over the desk. Kise was right next to him to take pictures. "Midoriiiin! I beat you at drinking... now I'll beat you at basket too...! Come on!"

"You're not going anywhere like that." Aomine all but picked her up like a sack of potatoes and dumped her on Kuroko's lap. "Take care of your girl, Tetsu. Jeez..."

"Hah, Kuroko's been gone for a while now. He's a lightweight too, probably even more so than Satsuki." Kagami laughed when he saw that his friend already had his eyes closed.

"You guys need to drink more! What kind of athlete can't handle his alcohol? So lame." The blunette took another drink of his beverage before standing up. He was tipsy, that was for sure, but he wasn't drunk. "Kagami! I challenge you to a one-on-one!"

"When we're not sober?" The redhead also chugged what was left of his beer, slammed his glass down and stood up. Then, he rolled up his sleeves. "Challenge accepted. Where's the nearest court anyway?"

"There's one three minutes away. Please refrain from getting run over." Said Akashi calmly as he gracefully sipped on his drink.

"Let's go!" Aomine dragged Kagami out of the VIP room while Maru remained seated on Akashi's lap, meowing cheerfully.

"Aaah... Dai-chan, wait for me...!" Satsuki paced after her childhood friend. Looked like she was sober enough to walk straight.

The three ran past a bunch of people without a care in the world as they laughed the whole way there. The alcohol sat in their system, warming them up, turning grief into euphoria and making them feel like they could fly. Their feet thumped against the cracked Los Angeles pavement while droplets of water sprinkled all over them.

They felt like they were just teenagers again, ones who thought they could grasp the world in their hands.

No one really questioned how Satsuki could keep up with two men in sneakers while she was wearing relatively tall heels, but they eventually reached the court that Akashi mentioned. It was empty and the mesh door was tightly shut. Between them and the ring was a four-metre high fence that Kagami had already begun to scale.

Not wanting to be outdone, Aomine followed suit with a grin even though Satsuki was practically yelling at them to get their asses down there right _now_ before they fell to their death. In the end, the pinkette decided to try her luck with the gate on the other end. Hopefully, it wasn't locked.

There was a stray basketball near the bench that they picked up. Immediately, they stood face-to-face and wordlessly started to dribble. Aomine took one step forward only for Kagami to take one to the side as if already anticipating that feint. He reacted to Aomine perfectly even when intoxicated. The two moved in sync, constantly swaying from side-to-side like this wasn't a game of basketball but a dance rehearsal.

_Thunk. Thunk. Thunk._

The ball kept moving and the rain became heavier. That did little to slow the boys down. They played like men possessed; like they hadn't been able to play in years as opposed to days. In a way, it was true. How long had it been since they last had such an invigorating one-on-one like this? Life had done nothing but inflict pain upon their relationship, but not today. Today, they were free to do whatever they wanted. There were no adults who said they had to rest or stuck-up assholes intent on putting them down. No one was there to scream at them, to break them apart and to extinguish their clashing fire.

There were only _them_. And really, that was all they needed.

Kagami was especially fierce that day. He let loose all his claws and bare his fangs. The first and second score were taken by him with powerful dunks along with a roar that burned Aomine's blood. He had a grin on his face as he dashed past Kagami with loud laughter and scored with a layup.

Aomine landed in a crouch with both of his feet planted firmly in the ground. He threw his head back with both hands on his waist, then he laughed once more, letting the rain water pour over him and soaking his clothes. Next to him was Kagami who had both palms on his knees, back hunched over and he, too, was laughing.

"Hah, you're," The dark-skinned male took a deep breath. "You're the best, Kagami."

"You... you too." In response, Kagami grinned, breathing still choppy.

_Thunk. Thunk. Thunk._

The sound of basketball being dribbled snapped the two out of it. Straightening their backs, they turned around just in time to see Satsuki, still donned in her glittering red dress and black high heels, jumping below the ring for a beautiful lay-up past two men.

Huh? Who the hell were they? The strangers were both out of breath and sprawled on the floor while Satsuki celebrated her victory by jumping in the air.

"Shit... you're a monster..." One of the men hissed as he got to his feet. "What kind of girl plays like that!? You're crazy! Not sexy at all..."

"All you had to do was be a good girl and come with us. Now you leave us no choice but—"

"But _what_." Aomine loomed over the two men, his eyes glinting dangerously as the court light cast menacing shadow over him. Slowly, he put his hands up and cracked his fingers, eyes narrow.

"Huh? Who the fuck are—"

"H-holy shit," One of them stammered. "Dude, no, that's Daiki, _that_ Daiki. Let's get the fuck outta here." He tugged his friend's sleeve and both of them tried to scurry away only to bump into another hard surface.

Kagami stood there, his red eyes glowing as he cracked his neck.

"F-fuuuuuck! T-Taiga too! Let's go, dude!" They both scrambled towards the door only to slam into something else.

"You did not answer his question. _But_ what, pray tell?" Was Akashi. He had Maru in his arms, stroking her coat gently just like a supervillain would. Behind him were the rest of the boys who donned the same murderous aura although not as intense as the two men standing protectively in front of Satsuki.

"H-hyeeeee!!!" The two dashed around the group and screamed even louder when they saw a shorter boy with baby blue hair who stared at them with his dead, soulless eyes that threatened to rip their hearts out of their bodies. The assailants promptly passed out.

"Satsuki..." Aomine turned around with a grin, followed by a hand ruffling her silky pink hair. "That was actually kinda awesome. So all those times you spent playing with me and your Touou boys really paid off, huh?"

"Ahh, don't mess my hair, Dai-chan!" She grumpily shoved the large hand away.

"No, no. Do that again!" Kagami fetched the stray basketball and passed it to Satsuki who caught it with ease. "Like, that layup. That was so cool."

"Hehe, just like this?" She swayed left, right, left and right like Aomine would then dashed forward with her high heels clicking against the pavement. "Hyaah!" She grinned as she extended her arm and let the ball fly into the air. It lobbed for a second, then it dove right into the net just as Satsuki landed with style and a peace sign.

"Woah, that was _awesome,_ Momocchi!" Kise rushed towards her and cheered, inflating her ego. "Again! Again!"

"So you have been playing with her, Aomine-kun." Kuroko smiled, seemingly sober enough to not trip over his words now.

"I mean, we spend our lunch break together often and we end up just playing, y'know? Besides, she's a coach now for the boys, so I thought it'd be good if she can kick their asses into shape." The blunette grinned at the sight of Satsuki and Kise going one-on-one. The pinkette certainly wasn't on Kise's level, but she still put up a fight.

The group ended up going home all stuffed in two cabs. Himuro and Akashi, the only sober ones out of the bunch sat on the shotgun of each cab while babysitting the others. Aomine, Satsuki, Kuroko and Kagami were squashed on the back where the only girl of the bunch was sprawled messily across everyone's lap. On top of her was Maru who snored without a care in the world. Kuroko was already passed out with his girlfriend's head on his thighs while Kagami and Aomine rested their heads against each other, their minds foggy.

"Kag'mi..." The blunette muttered under his breath. When it was replied with an equally groggy 'mm?', he continued. "I'mma show your stupid team that they can't win without you..." He hiccuped. "I'll destroy them _sooooo_ hard... and I'll get everyone to thrash them too, 'mmkay?"

"Idiot..." Kagami chuckled, amused. "Be my guest. Show Harvey how real PFs play."

"Oh, I'll _fucking_ show him. I'll show him so hard he'll want to quit."

Even though they both laughed at that, no one knew how hard that promise was about to be fulfilled. None of the other Miracles showed it, but they were absolutely fuming with rage. In the back of their heads, echoed one mutual sentiment:

Drive the Heat into the fucking ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chill chapter~ next one is gonna be painful so apologies in advance 0:) you can say it's the climax of this fic before things settle
> 
> Also thanks Laz for helping me out with the car for Kagami x)


	29. Tear Us Apart

It was no secret that Aomine and the rest of the Timberwolves hated listening. They were men of action who'd throw hands faster than they'd process excuses, so it was no surprise that after they wrapped up their training camp that summer, they were all just content to whisper amongst each other instead of hear Aiden out.

At some point, someone cursed when an apple core was thrown to the back of his head. Aomine snorted at the view and elbowed Jay, the man who was responsible for it. Everyone exchanged childish giggles that, honestly, didn't surprise anyone anymore. The Wolves nowadays were just a bunch of guys who just wanted to have fun and be rowdy in the court. They didn't really care much about winning.

Aiden heaved a sigh. "...And in saying that, I have decided to draft Tetsuya Kuroko this year."

"...WHAT!?" Aomine practically yelled out and shot to his feet. "You _what_ , coach!?"

"H-huh?" He looked taken aback, and so were the rest of the boys. "We're drafting Tetsuya Kuroko. I've seen what he can do and I think—"

"That is _sick_!" The blunette had an ear-to-ear grin as he practically skipped towards Aiden and snatched the clipboard off his hands. Sure enough, it was Kuroko's profile. "Oh, man. I used to play with him _all_ the time back in middle school... honestly, if there's anyone who—" He immediately slapped a hand over his mouth. "Oh fuck. I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Daiki?" Aiden blinked at him with wide eyes. "Can you explain?"

"N-nothin', coach!"

"That wasn't _nothing_. As a coach, I _need_ to know if Tetsuya is someone you can endorse. You're our next star, Dai. Hell, maybe the whole damn NBA's. You're like the next Michael fucking Jordan and we want to do what we can to make you shine." He looked up at the basketball player who scowled.

"Ugh..." He sucked in a breath when he saw his friends were looking up at him with excited grins. It wasn't everyday that their PF told them his life story, after all. "Fine. Okay. I know Tetsu since I was like, 12. Actually, he was the first guy who could read and follow my play, so we ended up being this "dynamic duo"." He made an air-quote gesture with his fingers. "Or whatever the hell that means. Anyway, he's my bro."

"And you didn't think of mentioning this before?" Aiden looked horrified. "How well do you two play together?"

"Look, Tetsu's gonna be an asset regardless of me being there. How well we play together doesn't really matter." He crossed his arms. "Besides, he'll kill me if he finds out that he got drafted because of my good words, so you better don't say anything, okay?"

"Zipped." The coach patted his ace's back. "Alright, this marks the end of our summer camp. Recuperate for our first game. No one is to do anything strenuous, no playing in the rain, no eating anything stupid, and for god's sake," he sighed, "don't oversleep because you had 'a wild orgy'."

Everyone snorted at that. Looked like that happened before.

"Right, Wolves! We'll win this year's NBA!" He clapped a hand against the clipboard and everyone was dismissed.

.

_"And with that, Golden States Warriors wrap up their home game in an overwhelming 19 points victory against the Knicks. Next, we have the long-awaited Miami Heat vs Minnesota Timberwolves, but for now, Shirley."_

_"Thank you Jorge, I have Ryouta here with me. Ryouta, you've been having a great season so far. This is the fifth game in a row you bagged thirty points for your team. Do you think you can carry over the momentum to your next match against the Clippers?"_

_"Of course~!"_ Kise grinned with that bright, charming smile of his. Wiping the sweat off his face with his jersey, he continued. _"Akashicchi's super strong and I've been waiting for a rematch. I'll definitely win this time!"_

Kagami snorted at the sight. Even when tired, he still looked like he just stepped out of the magazine. It was good to see that the blond was doing fine, though. So far, Kise had nothing but good things to say about his team.

He set down a plate full of skewers on the coffee table as well as two cans of ice cold beers, then he settled on the couch where his father was sitting at. Next to the food items was a magazine with a picture of Kagami dribbling a basketball on the front cover along with the headline: _"TAIGA: A BREAK OR AN INJURY?"_

"Here's the one you've been looking forward to, Taiga." Tobyn cracked open his can of beer and took a sip. On the screen, the game between the Wolves and the Heat had already begun. Aomine was still on the bench talking to his coach but in the background, Kagami could see his friend shedding his Wolves hoodies and stretching his limbs

"It's a been while since I last can kick back and watch." Grabbing one of many skewers, the redhead grinned. It had also been ages that he had the opportunity to sit with his dad and spend some quality time together. After hearing about his break, Tobyn took some time off from his hotel business just so he could keep his son company.

_"Daiki on the court, five minutes into the game. Heat leading by four points, so let's see if he can change that."_

At that moment, Kagami tightly gripped the beer can in his hand. He remembered the promise Aomine made that day and he found himself rooting for the blunette from the bottom of his heart. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't want his team to be absolutely slaughtered, considering the amount of hate he had for them, save for Grady. That guy had been nothing but a rock for him.

Kagami unconsciously nibbled on his fingernail when he saw Aomine intercepting a pass that was meant for Harvey. The home crowd went wild the moment their favourite Panther commenced his hunt.

After the first quarter ended, it became painfully obvious what exactly was going on. The Wolves weren't fucking around.

Aomine must've said something to his coach and team because at the moment, they played their best game. They easily predicted the Heat's tactics and pummelled them into the ground. It was as if the Heat's defence didn't exist. They had ten consecutive points stolen from them in the hand of Aomine. 

Had he always been _that_ good?

_"The Heat struggling with Taiga's absence this year. Just like five years ago, we can clearly see the cracks in their defense. The only thing that ever came in between Daiki and that ring had always been Taiga. So right now? They have to find an alternative answer and fast."_

The Heat was really falling apart. Kagami stared wide-eyed at the screen as Aomine easily zigzagged past three players, squeezing his smaller body between everyone else's and dunked the ball. Looking at his friend's play never ceased to inspire him. Even though he was supposed to be on his 'break', his fingers twitched with the desire to hold a ball and shoot some hoops.

He could see Harvey cursing at the referee for fouling him offensively after he crashed into a Wolves player. It was his third of the game. The guy was seriously losing his composure and Kagami found himself cringing a little. That didn't look good at all. At the rate this was going, he'd self-destruct and it wouldn't be pretty.

"That's him, huh?" Tobyn murmured. "Your ex."

"...Mm." The redhead replied with flat voice, eyes darkening at the memory.

"Two-faced snake. I can't believe he made my Taiga cry."

"Dad... just drop it. Please. I'd rather forget about it right now..." Kagami sighed powerlessly. He was so stupid to fall for Harvey's sweet nothings.

"I can't! Why did you go and date an asshole like that? I thought you had something with Daiki." His dad raised his voice defensively as in the background, the commentator went wild over another insane shot Aomine did.

"It's complicated, okay? You can't force someone who's not ready to be in a relationship. Besides, we didn't even live in the same continent back then!" The younger crossed his arms and hugged a cushion.

"And what about now?"

"Daaaad!"

"Fine, fine," He laughed. "I get it. You know I just want the best for you, Tai."

"I know..." The redhead muttered, eyes focusing back on the screen where the halftime report just started.

_"What an exceptional game by the Wolves today so far. Hakim has been relentless on defense, constantly knocking out those shots and just being an all-around nuisance. I daresay that this is the hardest the Wolves have played for a long while!"_

_"We all know them to be a team that slacks a little. Even Aiden admits that it's a problem. The members just don't have the drive to win—at least not as much as the other great teams—and it's disappointing to see. However, right now we are watching a whole different Wolves. Something must've flicked that switch. Let's hope this trend continues because whew, we'll be in for a treat then."_

"He's a good boy, your Dai." There was a fond smile on Tobyn's lips as he took yet another sip of his beer and crunching the empty can in his hand. "A bit crass, but his heart's in the right place."

"Mm. That's just how he is." Kagami grinned, his cheeks turning a little reddish. He introduced the two a few months ago over some homecooked meals and they became fast friends. Comparing to high school, Aomine was a lot more mellow and humble. He was far easier to get along with because he no longer picked fights with everyone.

And honestly, it made Kagami self-conscious. Aomine had grown so much into a responsible guy while he was here wallowing in self-pity through hookers and the occasional cigs. There was something on the back of his head that tried to convince him that Aomine deserved so much more than someone who'd gladly spread his legs for just about anyone. Besides, if the guy really wanted to, he could just grab one hot girl from his long line of female fanbase. Why take a used good over someone dainty and innocent?

The redhead brushed both hands over his face and heaved out a breath. Quietly, he whispered an apology to Aomine. He really didn't deserve the blunette's affection.

And Aomine might've said that he stuck to Kagami's side not because he owed him, but because he thought of them as friends. Kagami wanted to take it at face value, he really did. However, surely, one way or another, Aomine must felt pressured to take Kagami's side because once upon a time, Kagami stood by him at his darkest days.

At the end of the day, though, this problem was Kagami's alone to shoulder. He couldn't break free because he was weak; because he was too ashamed to admit his helplessness. Aomine was there supporting him and here he was being pathetic.

_"Timberwolves, getting their convincing victory over the Heat. 121-96, folks! 45 points for number 10 Daiki Aomine tonight. 5 blocks and 12 assists from Jay Frank. What an impressive showing by the Wolves. Now we have Chelsey with Daiki himself on the flesh, on the field."_

_"Thank you, Mike. Daiki, one score after the other. The home crowd is_ wild _after that dominating performance. What exactly went through your head as you played?"_ The female interviewer offered the microphone at Aomine who was panting, still out of breath.

 _"I just wanted to tear them to pieces. I hate their guts and I'll destroy them even harder next time."_ His voice was cold and stormy blue eyes stared right into the screen as if knowing that Kagami was watching.

_"And what sparked this bitterness, Daiki? It's known that your rival is Taiga but as we all know, he's taking a break right now."_

_"It's because he's taking a break that I want to crush them."_ Aomine brushed his short bangs back, making his fringe stick up in spikes thanks to his sweat. Then, he pointed at the camera and wagged his fingers in a _'come at me'_ fashion. _"So come out and play, Kagami. Next time we meet, we better play for real."_ He said in Japanese, then promptly swapped back to English. _"No more of that pathetic showing. Attack me with all you've got."_

Kagami felt a shiver running down his spine at the challenge. Something inside him was jolted alive as if struck by lightning. Without him knowing it, he was gripping his pants so tight, his hands trembled.

He badly wanted to answer that challenge.

.

The locker room was almost empty by the time Aomine finished typing a reply to Kuroko. His body was cooled down and all his belongings packed up. Most of his friends had already headed for the bus after they messed with his hair and the only ones left were him and Jay who just zipped up his duffel bag.

"Let's go, champ. The papz's waiting for you." He slapped the blunette's shoulder.

"You guys do the interviews. I'm gonna take the back door, got some unfinished business." He pocketed his phone and turned towards the door.

"Oi, Dai. I know what you're up to." The taller male sighed. "Don't start a fight, okay? It'll look bad on you. I know you hate them for what they're putting Taiga through, but don't you think you've done enough today? You rubbing your victory in their faces is bad taste even for the Wolves' standards."

"I'm not gonna do anything like that." Aomine snorted. "I'll just give them some parting words, y'know? That we'll crush them even harder next time. 'Sides, I wanna see how Jack grovels after his precious boys lost to some _Asian_." With a wave, he sauntered of the room and towards the bus bay where he saw the Heat's bus. He put on the most shit-eating grin he could muster and approached the vehicle.

Most of the players were outside talking while they waited for the driver. Looked like they finished their interview because none of the reporters could be seen. Aomine didn't even have to spend more than two seconds standing near them before someone noticed him. Immediately, their chitter chatter died down. In its place was thick tension as six pairs of eyes glared into Aomine's stormy blue ones. To say they were pissed was an understatement.

"Enjoyed the appetiser? There's more to come next time." Aomine spat on the ground. "You guys are nothing without Taiga. That was the easiest match I've ever played."

Harvey pushed past his teammates and grabbed a fistful of Aomine's hoodies. His dark brown eyes were filled with hatred as he brought their faces close to each other. "I know what you're playing at, Jap. Defending your slutty pansy of a _boyfriend_."

"...Say that again." His expression darkened.

"What? That Taiga's a _whore_?" Harvey cocked a smirk. "I've seen it first hand. His ass is so fucking loose, I went limp inside him."

"...Harvey... you..." His voice radiated fury—trembled with it.

He shoved Aomine away and scoffed. "I'll let you know that he lets different dude fucks him every night. He's a fag who—"

Aomine didn't really want to hear any more. He drew his arm back and—

"Daiki! Calm down, dude!" Someone stopped him before he could land the punch. The man holding his hand back was Grady. "Don't. It's not worth it."

In response, Harvey, too, spat on the ground. "What, you're sad that I almost fucked your gross boyfriend? I didn't know you're a fag too. Heh. Maybe all the Japs are gay?"

Aomine bit his lower lip so hard, he could taste metal. However, Grady's fingers curled around his wrist firmly, it made him _just_ hold on to his sanity. Instead of giving in to the provocation, he glowered. "I'm going to fucking destroy you, Harvey. You and your pathetic shitshow of a team. You're putting a mark on your back not only for me but for my friends too. We'll crush you to the ground until there's nothing left." With that, he yanked his arm away from Grady's vice grip and walked away, closing his ears from further mocking.

Aomine took out his phone and the first person he dialed was Midorima whose team was scheduled to go against the Heat in a few day's time.

.

"What's up Shin? You're looking even scarier than usual."

Midorima pushed his glasses up as he pocketed his phone, then he walked towards the door of the change room, turned around and cleared his throat. Everyone gradually stopped talking in favour of eyeing their usually uptight and quiet rookie.

"I have a request for all of you." He started. "For our next match against the Heat, I'd like to go all out and destroy them beyond repair."

They all blinked. "Woah, what gives?" One of them chuckled nervously. While Midorima had always been intense, this was on a whole another level.

"Please pass the ball to me and make as much space as possible. I'd like to crush them with my own hands." He said behind his gritted teeth and hateful eyes that made everyone flinch.

.

"Muro-chin..." Murasakibara put down his bag of chips after he read the message sent to him by Aomine.

The addressed male nodded stiffly, feet tapping restlessly against the ground while he sat on the bench. "No one picks on Taiga and lives."

.

A blur of yellow zipped past everyone in a speed they'd never seen before. They need only blink before they heard a loud slam of ball being dunked into the ring and the intimidating landing of a pair of sneakers.

"Damn," One of them laughed, panting. "You're relentless today, Ryo. Can't keep up with you."

"I need to learn as much as I can now. I have someone I badly want to beat." Rubbing the back of his head, Kise laughed.

There was something extremely disconcerting and nefarious about that laugh.

.

"Sei, they're locking up soon." Said one of Clippers players when he saw that their rookie was still practicing his already perfect handling and footwork. "Looking good."

Akashi didn't reply. In fact, he didn't hear a single word uttered by his teammate.

"Don't wear yourself out."

It was probably a good thing the man couldn't see the look in Akashi's eyes.

.

No one really understood why some of these teams went after the Heat with guns blazing. For a few weeks, articles and the sports news talked about how the boys in black and red were toppled by about thirty points by their opponents, namely Timberwolves, Bucks, Raptors, Clippers and Warriors.

_A CHASE FOR THE HEAT: A PERSONAL VENDETTA?_

_Following the break announcement from rising defense player Taiga, five teams made Miami Heat taste bitter defeat with twenty to thirty-five points deficit. The trend was started by the Timberwolves where everyone rallied around their ace, Daiki and played their best game in years. Ever since then, four others have followed in their footsteps while utilizing the same tactic of relentless attack and stiff defense by constantly locking down Heat's Harvey's movement._

_Such a curious development, especially when these teams are known for their Japanese rookies who have been seen spending time with Taiga during their off-season. Reportedly, Tatsuya of the Raptors and him spent some time surfing in Miami just a few weeks before the season started. Could the reason behind Taiga's break correlate with the inner working of Heat itself? Their coach, Jack Westmore was caught in a scandal a few years ago regarding an off-handed racist comment he made. Perhaps some of that bitterness remained inside him, which resulted in friction between him and Taiga._

Satsuki laid down the magazine on the bench next to her while she observed her boys practicing their footwork. Interhigh was upon them and she made sure that everyone would be ready for it. Her busy life didn't mean she forgot about her friends in America, though. It was pretty easy keeping in the loop since practically the entire nation was still hyped over having so many Japanese going pro at once.

Wakamatsu was standing just outside the line when he glanced at his old manager. "Sighing a lot today."

"Haha... yeah." She smiled weakly. "I just worry about them."

"Yeah. Looks like they've got it tough, huh? Not just sparkles and rainbows like they expected. Especially Taiga. I wonder if everything's okay..." He nodded at the kids who looked his way for acknowledgment of their amazing dunk.

Of course, Satsuki didn't tell Wakamatsu about what really went on in that team. So, she only pursed her lips and prayed that everything would fall into place soon and no one had to hurt anymore.

.

To tell the truth, Kagami didn't understand why they didn't get together back in high school.

Thinking back to it, they clearly loved each other but ended up not acting on it until graduation. Sure, it was most likely because of the mental baggage that Aomine carried, but honestly, Kagami didn't understand the correlation between that and relationship. He didn't want to cross the line by disregarding Aomine's feelings, so he kept quiet.

For years, he wondered _why_. Maybe if he had pushed a little bit more, Aomine would accept him, no matter how selfish it was. After all, they were fine as friends despite Aomine's mental illness. What difference would one step forward make?

Turned out, a lot. A whole damn lot.

After Kagami impaled his surfboard in the sand, he buried his face in his hands. Now he understood Aomine a little. The gnawing self-consciousness saying that he wasn't good enough; that he was too dirty and too much of a handful. No matter how much he tried to suppress the negativity, it was a task far too difficult. Hell, he couldn't even put his feelings into word without fearing judgemental eyes.

So this was how Aomine felt like all those years ago. Now Kagami was glad they didn't cross that line between friends and lovers. If they did, things wouldn't end so pretty and clean the way it did.

Blessing in disguise, he supposed.

That didn't stop him from inviting a man he met at the beach that day home anyway. Because even if only for a few fleeting minutes, sex always helped him forget.

.

It felt like it had been forever since Aomine last stepped foot in LA. The playoff was scheduled to begin in a few days after the drafting and there was nothing but a huge grin on his face when he thought about Kuroko. Soon, they'd play together again. He couldn't wait to see the look on the other blunette's face.

The only thing that would make him happier was if the Heat didn't make it to the playoff too. They barely had enough wins to squeeze themselves a spot even after all the thrashing the Miracles gave them. As expected of cockroaches. They just wouldn't die. Well, there was no use sweating about that now. He'd just have to teach them the meaning of true defeat later.

Instead of wallowing in hate, he chose to visit Tobyn and Kagami. The two didn't know that the Wolves were in the area so this was a good chance to surprise Kagami.

He had a huge brown bag full of cheeseburgers as he sought the two-storey house located only five minutes away from the beach. He could imagine Kagami going there everyday to expend his energy. Actually, he didn't even have to imagine. Kagami sent him a lot of photos every now and then.

It was around 8 PM when he arrived at his friend's place. Tobyn's car was missing from the porch which meant the elder wasn't in. In its place, Aomine noticed a strange black motorbike with a helmet hanging from one of the handles. How curious. He didn't remember Kagami telling him that he'd get a bike license.

Hoping to ask Kagami about it later, he noticed that the front door was cracked open slightly. There was light spilling out of it and Aomine pulled it open to see a spacious entryway with a mat and shoerack to the side. He kicked his sneakers off and took of his jacket as he sauntered towards the living room. Cans of beer and two empty shot glasses were left alone on the coffee table. Judging from the water dripping down the cans, it hadn't been long since they were cracked open. The TV, too, was still on. It displayed some reality TV that Aomine watched when he didn't have anything better to do.

"Bakagami?" The blunette took off his hoodie and walked towards the bedroom door he recognised as Kagami's. When he swung the door open, his eyes widened.

On the bed was Kagami lying on his back, fully clothed except for his pants which had been pulled down to his ankles. His legs were spread apart and between them was a strange Westerner who had his erect cock out, pushing it against Kagami's entrance.

The two locked eyes momentarily. Aomine was about to slam the door shut and run away, thinking that he intruded in some lovemaking session, but he didn't. Instead, Aomine turned towards Kagami whose eyes were shut tight and lips parted slightly. His cheeks were flushed, probably thanks to the alcohol.

That was when Aomine threw his jacket towards the bed, lunged forward and grabbed this strange man by the collar and pulled him up. At that moment, he wasn't even thinking.

"The fuck are you!?" He shoved the man against the wall and towered over him, hissing.

"Fuck off!" He refused to be intimidated and decide to fight back by trying to choke Aomine. The dark-skinned male was far stronger, however. He easily overpowered the stranger and slammed his head against the wall, disorienting him.

"What the fuck are you doing to him!?" For good measure, he glanced at Kagami who was still out cold. "...You drugged him, didn't you."

The stranger only groaned in pain in response. He rubbed the back of his head only to be kneed in the stomach.

"Answer me, asshole! Are you deaf!?" He pulled the man towards him and then pushed him back against the wall.

He hacked and coughed for a moment and opened his quivering lips to speak but was interrupted by the sound of Kagami stirring in the background. The redhead rubbed his eyes and let out a 'ggh' as he squeezed his temple.

"...Aomine?" He weakly muttered.

"Kagami." Aomine blinked his eyes but turned to snarl at the assailant one last time, not forgetting to knee him again before letting him go. "If I see you again, I'll snap your neck. _Go_." Without sparing the man who pathetically crawled out of the bedroom, he settled on Kagami's side and eased him to a sitting position.

"What..." He groaned and suddenly, his expression darkened. "The drinks."

"He spiked it." The blunette hissed in hate. How could people resort to such underhanded tactics to get their way, he thought as he helped Kagami get dressed. "Seriously, I left you alone for a few months and you almost got _raped_? It's fine and dandy that you wanna have sex, but be careful. You have to value your body more."

"It's fine."

Aomine drew his head back, shocked. "What's fine? You being raped?"

"I invited him over with the full intention of having sex, so what does that matter?"

"Of course it matters! Just because you wanna have sex doesn't mean he can drug you! Jesus, Kags. I thought you were more sensible than that."

"...What is it to you..." Kagami pulled away from his friend. "I feel groggy. Can you leave?"

" _Leave_?" Aomine narrowed his eyes, eyebrows scrunching together. "Fuck no. We have to talk about this, Kagami. I'm _worried_. You were seriously about to let someone take advantage of you and you said it's _fine_. It _isn't_ fine and I'm not leaving until you say that with me."

"Stop. Please. I don't want to talk about this, Aomine. Just... just stop." The redhead turned to face the wall with his knees drawn into his chest, arms wrapped around them and his shoulders shaking. "Let's... stop." The quiet, vulnerable voice was something Aomine didn't like.

"What do you mean... stop?" He leaned forward to try to look at Kagami in the eyes only for him to pull away even more. He felt a part of him breaking apart at that sentence. "Kagami. Look at me." He desperately grabbed the redhead's shoulder but was shrugged off. "What do you mean _stop_?"

"I meant stop _this_." He gestured to his entire body. The sudden rise in volume made Aomine flinch. "Just leave me alone. You don't have to waste your breath on me."

"I don't understand."

"What is it that you don't understand?" Kagami's breath hitched as he sharply turned towards Aomine to reveal a pair of glossy red eyes and a broken smile that made Aomine's heart ache.

"Kagami, you're not thinking straight, okay?" Despite his attempt to remain calm, something clogged his throat. "You're just confused, so calm down. I just want to talk."

"About _what_!? About my sex addiction? Are you gonna lecture me about what to or what not to do with my body!?" He clammed up at the police-like interrogation tone that Aomine employed.

"Come on, Kagami. This isn't like you." Aomine stood firm despite the rejection that made him want to turn tail and run. "The Kagami I know would never admit to something so weak like being addicted to something."

"Well, I'm _sorry_ for being weak!" The redhead pulled back and shoved the other away from his bed. "Just leave me, Aomine. _Please_. I can't... not today."

"For fuck's sake, Kagami. Stop. Pushing. Me. Away. Why aren't you talking to me!?" The dark-skinned male grabbed his friend by the wrist and pulled him to his feet. "Not last year, not last month, not yesterday, not today. When will you finally _speak_?"

He had never been known for his patience, so it was a miracle that he could last even this long. He did it for Kagami. He wanted to give his friend space and let him come when he was ready. However, looked like it was counter-productive. If waiting didn't cut it, he'd just have to take a drastic measure. This was a gamble and he hoped Kagami would cave in instead of blowing up. Things weren't looking great, though.

"You know what? _Fine._ " He hissed before he gripped Kagami's shoulders and slammed him against the wall, then put a leg between Kagami's where he began rubbing.

"Aomine, no. Stop." The redhead groaned through his clenched teeth when the other refused to listen to him. The friction led to libido flowing out of him and slowly, his cock hardened. "Stop it. Stop!" With all the power he had left in him, Kagami dug his nails into Aomine's shoulders and shoved him away until he hit the edge of the bed and lost his balance.

"Funny, Kagami." He scoffed, sitting up on the soft mattress. "Real fucking funny. So you'll spread your legs for everyone but not me? I laid my feelings for you out there and this is what you give me? If you don't like me anymore, then just say it. Don't dance around me like this and bring my hopes up. That's just _cruel_."

Aomine felt his heart clenching painfully at the radio silence. Kagami merely stood there, back against the wall, eyes cast down to the floor and teeth grinding against each other.

"Say something..." He murmured pathetically. Gone was his confidence. In its place was the boy from high school; the one who feared being left behind and abandoned, especially by the one he loved the most. "Say something, Kagami. You're not gonna dump me just like that, are you?" He sucked in a shaky breath as he stood up and reached for his old friend. His calloused fingers traced over Kagami's. Once upon a time, these two hands intertwined. Now, there was a brick wall separating them.

Those fingers crawled up to Kagami's wrist, his arm, up to his shoulder, ghosting over his neck and finally settled on his cheek where the redhead visibly flinched.

Aomine expected a few things from that contact. A lean into it, pull away, or maybe no reaction. However, he wasn't ready for the violent slap and a powerful shove that sent him tumbling onto the floor. His rear made a painful contact with the cold tiled floor and he let out a hiss.

"Don't _touch_ me!" Kagami's voice trembled. In his eyes were fear; repulsion. He sunk deeper into the wall, arms now pressed into it with his fingers curling and shaking.

Aomine was dumbfounded. For a moment, he remained on the floor as he stared up at Kagami in disbelief. At that moment, he could pinpoint the moment his heart crumbled. There was a loud ringing in his ears as he slowly let what happened to sink in. Then a pathetic snort escaped his lips.

"I see." He stood up. "This is your answer. Fine. Thanks for _nothing_." Tears pooled in his eyes despite his best effort to numb himself. "Thanks for bringing my hopes up only to throw me down. Thanks for making me feel like we had _something_." He slowly gathered his jacket from the bed, refusing to look at Kagami whose lips moved unintelligibly.

"No, no... Aomine." He took a hesitant step forward and reached for the other male's arm only to be roughly slapped away.

"Don't wanna be touched, right? So _don't_." He put on the jacket bitterly and grabbed the bag of burgers from next to the door with tears now overflowing as he paced towards the exit, prepared to leave his heart behind.

Couldn't bear to stand in there a second longer, he quickly stuffed his feet into his sneakers. From behind him, he felt Kagami's presence staring at his back. However, Aomine didn't want to address it. He just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

"What..." Kagami choked, his voice was soft and so, so weak. "What happened to us, Aomine?"

The blunette stilled. The brown bag crinkled in his hand.

"...Where did we go wrong?"

Aomine turned around one last time to see tears dripping down from Kagami's beautiful red eyes. However, he was beyond the state of caring about anything but his own broken heart. With the last ounce of strength he could find, he threw the burger bag into Kagami's chest where it was caught.

"Maybe from the beginning." He smiled a pathetic, broken smile. "I wish I never met you."

With that, he left.

For what felt like hours, Kagami remained rooted in the entrance with uncontrollable tears falling onto the floor. The bag in his hands felt like it weighed a tonne.

He did it. He finally destroyed everything. He knew it was gonna happen if that tension persisted, but the reality was so much more painful than he could ever imagine. Sniffling, he opened the brown bag to see eight cheeseburgers wrapped neatly into individual servings. With a sorrowful smile, he reached for one, unwrapped it, and took a bite to let the warm, cheesy goodness to coat his tongue.

"It's good..." He slowly sunk to the floor, then took a bigger bite, another one, another one and another one until there was nothing left. "It's good..." He laughed pitifully at himself, at his cowardice and his unjustified lashing out.

Maybe Aomine was right. Maybe it was better if they never met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I promise it'll all get better soon and I'll feed you guys with a lot of fluff


	30. Dead Man Walking

The draft lottery was a complicated thing to understand, but one thing for sure was that those who didn't make it to the playoff had priority. Because the Wolves already had a good last and current season, they were one of the last to choose. Not that it really mattered to them considering no other teams wanted to pick Kuroko up. Or at least they hoped none would. His name was dropped here and there as another Japanese that might level a team up but no one wanted to risk it.

Kuroko wasn't a skilled player by all means. His techniques were mediocre at best, definitely not befitting of a professional team. It didn't help that most of the time, no one really noticed him. The only reason Aiden had his eyes on Kuroko was because of his ability as a playmaker. He noticed how those blank eyes always follow every single player. He knew when to pass to who, when and what kind of chink the enemy's armour had. Right now, the Wolves needed a strong, intelligent playmaker who could unleash Aomine's potential. Sure, the ace said something about not wanting his partner to be overly smart, but Aiden's guts told him to go with it even before he found out that those two had played before in middle school. That revelation just sealed the deal.

"Daiki!" Hakim clapped in front of the power forward who had been spacing out for the past few minutes.

"You wanna give someone a heart attack?" Aomine scowled in response. It was no secret that he had been so touchy for around two days, opting to keep to himself instead of joining everyone in their playful banter.

"Chin up, man. Your pal's getting drafted tonight, so you gotta give him your best, most welcoming smile, a'ight?"

In response, Aomine stuffed his hands deep in his pocket, scrunching his eyebrows even more. He wanted to celebrate, he really did. However, his mood hadn't come even close to recovering. Ever since the fight with Kagami two days ago, he hadn't been able to think about much else. It was a good thing that the first game of the playoff wouldn't begin until three days from now because he was pretty sure he'd give a damn pathetic performance.

He slouched on the chair, index finger pressed against his lips as his friends continued speculating what the hell was happening to their favourite PF.

"Will you guys stop talking?" He hissed, irritated.

"What's up, Dai? You got dumped?"

"I said none of your business!" He all but kicked the back of his teammate's chair before taking a sharp intake of breath and looking away.

"Okay, so he _did_ get dumped. Damn." Everyone seemed to take no offence in what Aomine said, probably thanks to their thuggish nature. Instead, one of them just tapped Aomine's knee before turning back around to observe the host announcing the drafting order.

_"Minnesota Timberwolves selects Tetsuya Kuroko from the University of California."_

That interrupted Aomine's train of thought for a moment. He looked up to see everyone jolting in surprise when Kuroko poked the man next to the desk to announce his presence. That coaxed a snort out of him. Some things just didn't change. Frightened, the staff handed the scrawny male his Wolves hat that he put on. Pictures were snapped one after the other before Aiden ushered him towards the team's area where everyone awaited.

Kuroko had a big smile on his face as he immediately paced towards Aomine where he held out a fist that Aomine stared at momentarily before meeting with his own while still slouching, an amused grin on his face.

"Way to go, Tetsu." He then straightened his back to ruffle his friend's hair. For once, he wasn't met with a flat 'please stop that' followed with a death glare, but instead he received a genuine laugh that made Aomine smile. "Welcome to the team."

"I can't wait to play with you again, Aomine-kun." He said before settling next to him.

"So you two really played together back in middle school? What was Daiki like back then?" Jay excitedly crowded the two along with everyone else while Aiden shook his head at his boys.

"Not too different from the Aomine now." Kuroko simply answered, then he blinked. "You know of our history?"

"Just to make it clear, we have decided to draft you before we know that you used to play with Daiki." Aiden raised before the situation escalated. That made the rookie nod. "You two still got the chemistry?"

"Of course. We always play when we get the chance. In fact, I've missed playing alongside him."

"Don't say something so lame." Aomine snorted which led to his friends chuckling along.

"There's more like it, Dai. You've got colour again. Hey, Tetsu, tell us more about him later!" They said before going back to their seats even though still giddy.

The sudden silence coaxed Kuroko to turn towards Aomine and tilt his head. "Did something happen, Aomine-kun?"

The blunette once again slouched on the seat before flicking his undernail idly. "It's over now." He murmured, expression faltering and blue eyes darkening with grief. Kuroko didn't reply. He sat there questionably, silently asking Aomine to please elaborate. "Kagami and I."

"...Ah."

An uncomfortable silence stretched between the two. It was clear that even Kuroko had been rendered speechless which didn't happen often, if at all.

The blunette pulled his hood up and drummed his fingers on his stomach. "Guess nothing is forever, huh? I thought he'd be different, but he ends up leaving anyway once he's had his fill." He let out a chuckle filled with bitterness and regret. "I shouldn't have believed in him. I'm an idiot."

"What actually happened?" Asked his old friend carefully, not wanting to say the wrong thing.

"Pretty much told me to pack up and get the hell outta his life because apparently he doesn't want me worrying about him."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Aomine-kun. I really am." Kuroko looked down at the floor as he couldn't bear the broken look in Aomine's dark eyes. There was nothing he could say to make it all better, especially seeing how fresh that wound still was for Aomine who tried his entire life avoiding that scenario. _'I'm sure Kagami doesn't mean what he said'_ would be lying, coming from Kuroko. It was true that the redhead changed a lot and honestly, Kuroko couldn't claim to understand him anymore.

"I'll be fine. We have the playoff in a few days, so I can't let this bother me. I'll shake it off with a good night's sleep." Aomine murmured while rubbing the back of his neck. He hoped he'd be able to, anyway. It had been two days yet his heart still felt like they were being squeezed out of him.

The rest of the drafting session passed them by. Aiden mentioned something about trying out the Aomine-Kuroko pair tomorrow to see just how good they were. The entire time, Aomine was quiet. He kept his eyes down on the ground and hands stuffed in his pocket.

"Go home, Dai. Get a good sleep and come back tomorrow full of energy, yeah?" Aiden shook tapped Aomine's shoulder after noticing that his ace was still inconsolable.

The bluehead only nodded in response before turning his back to leave.

"Aomine-kun!" Kuroko called out.

"I wanna be alone right now."

"But—"

"I'll see you tomorrow. Bye." He lifted his hand to wave at Kuroko as he walked off. Right now, the last thing he wanted was anyone reminding him of Kagami who dumped him in the trash like an old toy.

.

_Remember the words you told me, love me 'til the day I die  
_ _Surrender my everything 'cause you made me believe you're mine_

The thrumming of bass, clinking of glass and loud clamouring of intoxicated guests echoed all around. Bright light reflected by the disco ball constantly flickered in the dimly lit bar area where it was a little quieter. It was a Friday night which only amplified the noise, but none of that really reached Kagami's ears.

He sat on the stool, alone, staring at the surface of his vodka mix with the bartender looking at him pitifully. Looked like the staff was already used to seeing someone so distraught like this to know when to or not to bother someone. In Kagami's case, with his eyes red and puffy, his lower lip scraped and bleeding, he stayed quiet. Instead, he poured another shot glass full of potent alcohol and slid it towards the redhead while quietly whispering 'on the house'.

_Yeah, you used to call me baby, now you calling me by name  
_ _Takes one to know one, yeah  
_ _You beat me at my own damn game_

With gratitude, he put it between his fingers and downed it in one go. The fire seared his throat and stomach, then it went right into his brain where it made him hiss. Next to his hand was his phone with his screen on displaying his message log with Aomine. The latest one from Kagami was a very simple two-word reply: _'I'm sorry'._ Underneath it was a small text: pending.

Aomine blocked him. Of course, he would.

_You push and you push and I'm pulling away  
_ _Pulling away from you_

Kagami lowered his head and slammed his fist on the table. His eyes had been long dry after two whole days of nonstop crying in his room. He knew he made a big, _big_ mistake. Aomine was only worried about him, yet his insecurities led him to blow up. He wished he could travel back in time and stop his idiot self from destroying the one person he badly wanted to be happy.

He tugged down on his hoodie to make sure no one recognised him before he turned around to find the toilet. All that drinking not only made him feel high and numb but also fill his bladder.

_I give and I give and I give and you take, give and you take_

When he lifted his head, he saw blue stumbling towards the dance floor. Even through intoxication, Kagami knew who exactly the man wrapped in a dark blue hoodie with the large, white text WOLVES written on the back was. Many females followed after the heartbreaker who had one sexy blonde in one arm and a gorgeous African-American woman in the other.

Aomine's cheeks were flushed with alcohol as he leaned down to whisper something in one of the females' ear that turned her entire face beet red. Then, he turned towards the other to land a kiss on the back of her ear.

_Youngblood  
_ _Say you want me, say you want me  
_ _Out of your life  
_ _And I'm just a dead man walking tonight_

Disoriented, Kagami took one step back and almost stumbled into the stools. He rubbed his eyes to make sure it wasn't his head playing tricks on him. When he opened those red orbs, the view didn't change but it definitely got worse.

Aomine was clearly drunk but still sober enough to look fucking gorgeous with his sweaty blue hair, piercing drugged look and a cocky toothy smirk. He put a hand on the blonde's lower back, dangerously close to her ass and he leaned forward until their foreheads touched.

_But you need it, yeah, you need it  
_ _All of the time  
_ _Yeah, ooh ooh ooh_

The blunette licked his lips when the woman behind him pressed her ample breasts on his back. Her long, slender fingers ghosted over Aomine's side while slowly trailing lower and lower until it reached his hips. One of Aomine's hand reached backwards to squeeze her ass while the other rubbed over the other's breasts.

Aomine's head moved down as he nipped and sucked on the blonde's neck. The three of them swayed side by side rather erratically to the beat. And the entire time, Kagami felt like he was being kicked in the stomach. His throat closed up and he had to wheeze in order to remember to breathe. This was what he told himself Aomine deserved, yet it left him with a bitter feeling of loss.

It wasn't right. Maybe it was his possessive, selfish side speaking but Aomine with anyone other than him just never felt right.

_Youngblood  
_ _Say you want me, say you want me  
_ _Back in your life  
_ _So I'm just a dead man crawling tonight_

The disco ball spun faster, sending with it shades of dizzying neon that seemed to sprinkle salt on Kagami's wound. He forced himself to sit on the stool while clutching his stomach. He felt so nauseous and light-headed, he thought he was about to pass out there. Behind him, a bartender rushed to his side to offer a glass of water that he skulled in one go but that didn't help the charcoal lodged in his throat to dissipate.

The alcohol _burned_. It spread through his veins like wildfire as he wallowed in his own sorry state. He leaned back on the bar table and dared himself to look up; to make _very sure_ that the man really was Aomine, not just some hallucination induced by alcohol.

 _'Cause I need it, yeah, I need it  
_ _All of the time  
_ _Yeah, ooh ooh ooh  
_ But it refused to change.

Aomine kept his nose buried in the blonde's neck as she turned around and started grinding her ass against his groin. Reflexively, Kagami trailed a finger over the spot Aomine was nipping at. If he closed his eyes, he could feel the blunette pressing his chest into his, tongue flicking over a sensitive spot before sucking hard enough to leave hickeys. He could see those stormy blue eyes glimmering with lust and love as they stared into each other.

Kagami made a strangled noise before clutching the left side of his chest. It hurt. It hurt so much. Not even the alcohol could numb such stabbing sensation.

_Lately our conversations end like it's the last goodbye  
_ _Yeah, one of us gets too drunk and calls about a hundred times_

Kagami hurried to his feet and ran away as far as his legs could take him. He crashed into countless of patrons, sending their drinks spilling all over but he could barely hear their groan of frustration and anger over his own. He stormed into the toilet, crashed into a stall and slammed the door shut before he hunched over the toilet bowl and emptied out his stomach.

It burned. It burned. It burned. What little food he had for lunch launched out of his mouth along with the drinks he consumed that night.

_So who you been calling, baby, nobody could take my place  
_ _When you're looking at those strangers, hope to God you see my face_

Why was he so stupid? He loved Aomine to pieces but ever since his arrival, he'd done nothing but hurt the man he wanted so badly to kiss breathless. Why? Because he felt like he was too dirty to stand next to such brilliant blue. He didn't want Aomine to run his fingers all over Kagami's mud.

But why was it that he wanted to be selfish? Despite what he told himself, he wanted to curl his arms around Aomine and cry. He wanted to cry until his throat was dry and his tear duct emptied. Instead, he was here doubling over a filthy public toilet bowl retching vomit mixed with sweat and tears.

_Youngblood  
_ _Say you want me, say you want me  
_ _Out of your life  
_ _And I'm just a dead man walking tonight_

He wished his life had a big reset button he could push so he could transport himself to six, seven years ago before they separated. Hell, just two years ago when they met for the second time would be better. He would've done things differently. He'd hold Aomine and kiss him. He'd beg so they'd never again be apart.

_But you need it, yeah, you need it  
_ _All of the time  
_ _Yeah, ooh ooh ooh_

As he crashed his back against the stall door, Kagami looked up at the dim lighting of the toilet that flickered.

Was there anything else he could do to salvage this? How would Aomine react if he just went into the dance floor and kiss him senseless like he wanted to all those years ago?

_Youngblood  
_ _Say you want me, say you want me  
_ _Back in your life  
_ _So I'm just a dead man crawling tonight_

.

Aomine, he injected himself full of alcohol that night just to forget about his heartbreak and pain of being left behind because he figured that if nothing he ever loved would stay, he might as well drown.

He wanted to feel something tonight. Something that wasn't agony; he wanted to think about someone that wasn't Kagami.

So he kissed. He kissed the faceless, nameless woman breathless before going for another to do the same thing. His tongue danced with someone's he wasn't sure if a woman or a man before he toppled head-first into a pair of smooth yet strong arms that he clung to in order to not fall. Aomine coughed wildly, his eyes stung and his heart was beating a million miles per hour. Never before had he drank so much in a short amount of time.

Nevertheless, he was glad to have the spinning room distracting him. Aomine tried to prop himself up but ended up vomiting bile onto the floor before he was hauled up by someone.

The next thing he knew, he was lying on the back of the taxi curled around the same arms that picked him up.

The person smelt like expensive perfume and their long fingers were comforting on his shoulder. His senses were cloudy and he could hardly process anything as audible. The music that came out of the radio was soft as he coughed some more in the stranger's arms.

_...here, but I'm in pieces  
_ _And I don't know...  
_ _...know how to fix this, no_

"Kagami..." He choked out, not knowing what else to say. Tears dropped onto the stranger's smooth thighs that he buried his face into. There, he sobbed and let out all the emotions he let build up inside him for two days.

Now he knew what his mother must've felt like when her husband cheated on her. It was something that couldn't be described with words. It hurt like a thousand knife wounds, like someone was holding him up by the throat and choking the life out of him. Tried as he might, he wasn't able to form a coherent sentence.

_...you don't feel something when you look at me  
_ _You're holdin' my heart...  
_ _Just let me down slowly... be okay..._

Kagami. The light of his life. Gone. Threw him aside just like that. He spent most of his adult years longing for the bright fiery red only to have his hope crushed. So he sobbed while weakly punching the flesh under him. He was snotty and pathetic—a far cry from this public persona he built of an aloof bad boy.

_If you're... some habit that... break  
_ _I can clear my system in... days_

The stranger soothingly rubbed his back before slowly easing him up into a hug where his cries grew even louder. Those pair of arms were so strong and so reassuring, he felt like he was being held by his mother. His choked sobs of 'Kagami' turned into 'mom' as he hiccupped.

He didn't remember what happened after that.

.

Hangover was always an evil thing. It made you remember that you shouldn't drink _that_ much yesterday and that you probably made a fool out of yourself. Not only that, it always had the audacity to take the form of a relentless headache that probably wanted to kill you and your firstborn.

That summed up what Aomine had to deal with the moment he opened his eyes to an unfamiliar sight.

He groggily sat up to see that he was in a small room that certainly wasn't Akashi's place. The wall was baby yellow and there was a red carpet under the single bed. When he peeled off the white duvet off his body, he noticed that he was only covered in his boxer.

On the nightstand was a glass of water and a sealed box of hangover pills that he inspected for a few seconds before ripping open and swallowing. He was taking a deep breath when he caught a delicious whiff of cooked bacon that got him salivating. Carefully planting his feet on the ground, he opened the door.

"...in the third drawer."

"Found it!"

Aomine rubbed his eyes and frowned. In the kitchen stood Himuro and... a tall busty blond who was barely wearing anything. Oh.

"Daiki, you're alive!" The woman who was none other than Alex gave him a sunny grin. "Come, Tatsuya's cooking some breakfast. You're gonna need it." She all but paced behind him and shoved him towards the chair.

"How did I..." He narrowed his eyes just as Alex walked towards the living room and turned on the TV.

_"NBA player Daiki Aomine was seen yesterday night kissing multiple women in his state of intoxication. He reportedly threw up in the premise and had to be escorted out..."_

"Fuck." Aomine buried his head in his hands. No doubt his phone had blown up with a million notifications. And besides, he _kissed_ strangers? Wow, he must've been that drunk. Sure, he wanted to get high and fuck someone, but for him to do such intimate thing with someone he didn't know made him cringe. He wished he was a little more sober.

"Rough night, huh?" Himuro set down a few plates of food on the table.

The blunette nodded grumpily in response. The three enjoyed the delicious, hot breakfast in relative silence only accompanied with the morning news. He had to admit that it felt good to have a full stomach. Himuro took the dirty plates and inserted them neatly in the dishwasher, leaving Alex and Aomine alone.

"So," She started, intertwining her fingers and shooting him her best interrogative stare. "Taiga. You kept calling out his name. Did that idiot do something?"

He heaved out a breath before scratching his head. He did such embarrassing thing? "You can say I got dumped. Funny because we never even dated to begin with."

Alex made a small noise, asking her pupil's friend to elaborate. Those pair of sharp eyes frightened Aomine who had no choice but to comply. This was Alex, someone who'd known Kagami longer than he or the Miracles did. If anyone could figure out the redhead's thought processes, it was her.

He thumbed the glass of water on the desk and stared at the clear surface. "I know the tension had always been there but I think I pushed too hard. I was just worried... but he didn't seem like he wanted me to care." He huffed. "I was on my wit's end. I didn't know what else to do. Tried being patient but nothing happened, so I figured I might as well pressure him." Said Aomine while twiddling his thumbs. "He told me to fuck off."

Himuro was cleaning up the kitchen but Aomine knew he was listening too.

"You know," Alex crossed her arms on the table. "Taiga's been sleeping around with prostitutes and random men at every possible opportunity, It's extremely rare to see him spending his nights alone. Do you know why's that, Daiki?"

"What, he's horny? Guys our age tend to be like that." He scoffed.

Alex sighed. "When you have a memory that keeps haunting you, what do you usually want to do?"

"...Try to think about something else?" Feeling like this was a trick question, he raised his eyebrows.

"Exactly." She said firmly, their blue eyes locking together. "I know Taiga. He's not the type to really care, but once he does, he devotes his entire soul into it. Basketball, for one. The boy he loves, for two." A small smile tugged on the corner of her lips. "He loves you too much, Daiki. That's why he pushed you away."

"I don't... understand?"

"He uses sex as a mean to forget you and before he knows it, he doesn't know how to not think of you if it's not through sex. It's his coping mechanism, so to speak."

"And now, he feels too dirty to be with you." Himuro set down two cups of coffee on the table. One for Alex, straight black and the other, filled with sugar and cream, for Aomine. The dark-haired male leaned against the wooden furniture as he sipped his own. "I'm sure you understand where he's coming from. You, too, have felt what anxiety is like. It eats you up, doesn't it? Voices in your head telling you that no good is gonna come from whatever it is you're gonna do."

Aomine lowered his head. Yes, he knew full well what it was like. An endless pit with no light; one where the only way forward was down. "Did he talk to you guys?"

"No. He didn't have to. I know him. Taiga's never been the hardest guy to read if you squint hard enough." Said Alex. "Anyway, what I want to say is that he didn't mean what he said. You know how he is. A hot-headed idiot who speaks before thinking. Daiki," She leaned forward and grabbed Aomine's hands in hers. "Please don't give up on him."

"But..." His voice trembled slightly. "What if it was all true? That he just doesn't want to have anything to do with me anymore. What if for him, I'm just a carton of milk way past its expiry date and all he wants to do is put me in the trash? If he pushes me away the second time, I..." He took a deep breath before exhaling softly. "I don't think I'll be able to handle that. I put all my trust in him. I trusted that he wouldn't leave me."

The blond noticed the tremor in Aomine's hands, the shake in his voice and the fear in his eyes. Her gaze immediately softened and she smiled before clenching his hands even harder. "You love him, Daiki. And I get you, it's scary. Being rejected and left behind _is_ scary, but trust me. Taiga is one of the kindest people I've ever met, so there is no way he'd do something so cold like that."

"Alex is right. I refuse to believe that he'd throw away the one person he values the most. We both have known him the longest out of everyone else, so take our word for it." Himuro took a sip of his coffee before setting the mug down. "At least give him a chance to explain himself. Let him be the one to come to you this time."

"But what if he doesn't?" Aomine bit his lower lip. "What if I wait and he never comes?"

"Then at least you'll know for sure that he means what he said. Don't you want closure, Aomine? What if one day in the future when both of you are happily married with another, you find out that things could've been fixed? That the only reason why you parted was because of one misunderstanding." He leaned forward as Alex let go of the Wolves player's hands. "You'd regret it even more then."

It was true. They were right.

This was no time to let his insecurities bog him down. He lived out most of his teenage years agonising over his fear of being left behind which was why he let Kagami go. And god, he didn't want it to happen the second time. He was scared, yes. But if as Himuro said, if he didn't resolve this, he might regret it later.

Before he could do anything, Alex slid a device across the table towards him. His phone.

"Thanks." He grabbed it and immediately unblocked Kagami's number. One message came through. It simply said: ' _I'm sorry'_. "Hah..." Aomine chuckled weakly after reading it.

Seeing the smile on Aomine's face, Alex nodded at Himuro. Then, she stood up and put her pupil in a headlock. "And how's your sweetheart, Tatsuya? I've seen you two play. Not too bad, aren't you?"

"Yeah, yeah." He grinned, letting Alex do whatever she wanted with him. When Aomine set his phone down, he smiled gingerly at all of them. "It's been nine years. I'm thinking of tying it."

"WHAAT!?" The two others in the room slammed the desk in surprise.

Himuro put a finger on his lip in a 'shush' gesture. "Not now, though. I'm still thinking it through. Big step even for us and we all know the bad relationship Atsushi has with a big step." He laughed.

"You're not nervous at all, are you?" Alex nudged Himuro's side with her elbow.

"No use sweating it." He shrugged.

"But your team still doesn't know you're together, right?" This time, it was Aomine who spoke up.

"It's not our style to make it known, so we'd rather keep it a secret. We might like our teammates, but that doesn't mean we want to involve them in our private lives."

The dark-skinned male frowned. "Are you worried that they'll treat you differently like Kagami's team did?"

"I guess. But honestly, you'll be surprised by how accepting most people are nowadays. Taiga just drew the short end of the stick." He stood up to grab Alex's empty coffee cup. "Well, accepting or not, I have no plan on announcing our relationship to anyone any time soon. Even if we do tie it up, it'll just be a small ceremony."

Aomine just opened his mouth when his phone vibrated. He immediately swooped it, expecting Kagami but it was just Hakim sending him a lot of winky faces followed with _'my man'._

He rolled his eyes before cursing at his teammate and then proceeded to check the thirty messages from twelve different people asking him about the news and his current whereabouts. Satsuki was responsible for eleven of them. Most of them were short texts of 'Dai-chan??' and 'call me' just like a coddling mother. He ignored them and jumped straight into the ones from Kuroko which only said 'Aomine-kun' yet it was no less terrifying than if he stood face-to-face with the shorter blunette.

Anyway, for now he could only wait for Kagami to respond to him.

.

It was a miracle that Kagami got home safe and sound. Turned out, no matter how fucked up he was, he was sober enough to hail the cab, unlock his front door and pass out face-down on his couch. His dad still wasn't home since he said he'd be away for the week to check up on one of the many branches of his hotel. Honestly, Kagami was thankful for that. He didn't want to worry his dad even more.

He woke up feeling like absolute shit and ended up ordering delivery of burger and hashbrowns. Anything greasy that would help to calm his hangover down. Although he started to think twice about it. Without any pain to distract him from last night's memory, he didn't think he'd be able to get through the day in one piece. 

Kagami stretched over the desk to once again think about what stupid thing he did. He had no one to blame but himself. A million different ways to express his sincerest apologies flashed in his head but that didn't mean he'd act on them. The fact that Aomine blocked him felt like the nail on the coffin.

It wasn't until his phone vibrated that he turned to the side to see one notification from...

He immediately sat up and yanked the phone, putting it close to his face as he stared at the reply from Aomine.

 _'I'm here when you're ready to talk'_ , it said.

A huge weight dropped off his shoulders just like that. Suddenly, he could perk up and breathe again. Clutching the phone tightly in his hand, he couldn't hold a smile off his face. So he hadn't completely fucked it up.

Kagami quickly inhaled what was left of his breakfast, went to the bathroom to take a hot bath to wash the grime off his body and then got dressed. His heart was thumping loudly as he put on his comfiest shorts, pulled up a pair of black socks and slipped into his sneakers. He adjusted his jacket while he closed the door, then he took a deep breath.

Time to fix this. No more excuses. After the past few days, he realised that no matter how much he tried, he couldn't keep his mind off Aomine, it made him suspect that his heart had a hole in the shape of Aomine that no one else could fill. If nothing else, he would like to explain himself to his precious friend because he was certain that this was his last chance.

.

"Dai, come on, man. Where's your intensity?" Aiden crossed his arms after another failed basket by their favourite ace. Missing so many shots in a row like that, it was unlike him and the team was seriously getting worried.

"Must've been a darling who dumped you, huh? Cheer up, Dai. Playoff's in two days. Surely you can find other chicks." Jay ruffled the blunette's hair and Hakim also decided to pick on him.

However, it wasn't until Kuroko chopped him on the side that he jumped and gave everyone a reaction. "Dammit, Tetsu!"

"Please stop sulking, Aomine-kun. If we lose because you cannot focus, I will never forgive you. Consider others who cannot play." He deadpanned, sending a shiver down Aomine's spine.

"Ugh... yeah, I know... I know, dammit." Said the taller one as he cracked his back.

"Tetsu, how warmed up are you?" Aiden asked.

"Quite." He smiled slightly.

"Off you go. Show me what you can do with Dai."

"Aomine-kun," Kuroko stared at Aomine with a pair of unblinking eyes. "If you do not get your head in the game, I will be very disappointed."

"Urk! Y-yeah... Geez." 

No one said it, but the side smirk and chuckles they exchanged showed that they were impressed by how well Kuroko could handle their usually problematic ace.

And so began the practice game. In fear of Kuroko's wrath, Aomine forced himself to focus. It was a little surprising how quickly he could do that once he truly tried. Within seconds of receiving a pass from his old friend, a grin grew on his face and he played like the normal Aomine again. He zigzagged past his teammates, passed the ball to someone else and received an alley-oop in return. Aomine dangled on the rim for a few seconds before finally letting go.

Aiden observed the new addition with interest. He could pop in and out just like that which was surreal, in his opinion. Now that he saw what a great playmaker and a great partner to Aomine he was, he started to think that he really did hit the jackpot here. Kuroko got that magical touch that turned any ball he put into his teammate's hands into a basket. He was always there at the right time and always passing at the right person even if that person wasn't Aomine.

"Thinking, coach?" Someone behind him asked.

"Yeah. We're really looking good this year. I think we have a good chance of winning." He grinned before waving at his new addition. "Tetsu, come here. We need to talk."

Practice ended at around 5 PM. It wasn't anything strenuous since playoff was coming soon but more of a revision. Aomine and Kuroko bid goodbye to everyone else and promised to meet them later that night to take the plane back to Minnesota. They took a cab back to Akashi's place while chatting about the team and the upcoming game. It distracted him enough to keep his mind off Kagami and honestly, it was a welcome development.

"Aominecchi, Kurokocchi!" Kise was practically packed and ready to go for his own flight back too. In fact, everyone was there with a table full of delicious takeaway food they had delivered.

"Ah, hello." Akashi nodded at them. "Kuroko, please join us. Aomine..." He tilted his head to the side. "You have someone waiting for you in your room."

"Huh." He picked a chicken wing before walking towards his shared space with Himuro just in time for him to emerge out of the bedroom.

"Oh. You're here." He smiled before tapping the blunette's shoulder.

"Uhm," Aomine muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "Thanks for taking care of my drunk ass. Send my regard to Alex too, yeah? I expected to wake up naked in a ditch, but that didn't happen, so..."

"Hah, yeah. No probs." Himuro smiled before walking off, leaving Aomine in front of the bedroom that had its door cracked open slightly.

The dark-skinned male put a hand on the knob and pulled it as he thought about what a good guy Himuro was. They always had pretty fire conversation before bed since they shared their room with Murasakibara too. The two was always so lovey-dovey but were considerate of Aomine's presence, so they never did the dirty when he was around. Himuro was witty and extremely intelligent. Surprisingly, he complemented Murasakibara's inattentiveness very well.

Aomine lifted his head the moment he crossed the line separating the hallway and the bedroom. He immediately took one step back in surprise.

"Ah..." Kagami looked just as nervous, but he continued, "Aomine..."

With a deep breath, Aomine softly closed the door behind him and leaned against it, arms crossed. This time, red met blue again but there was a spark in Kagami's eyes. Ones that had been missing for a long while. 

"I'm ready to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, here we are!
> 
> Next chapter is a bonus as a thank you for dealing with my angst obsession ;)
> 
> Songs:  
> [Youngblood](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vwhrqd3UaKo&ab_channel=7clouds)  
> [90 Days](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQdujA7PZe4&ab_channel=ChillZone)


	31. Bonus: Player Profile

**Ranking the 8 Newest Rising Sun Players From Worst to Best**

> Written by Kevin Stall  
>  21 October, 20xx

These past few years have been a crazy ride for NBA fans. While the professional world is no stranger to athletes from the East, it is very uncommon to have so many of them appearing out of nowhere. Starting from defensive, offensive or leadership, these boys have been nothing short of impressive and have certainly raked in their fair share of fans. Their arrival has not only created a talking point within everyone who follows this sport but also has had a positive impact on their respective teams. This list will put in order which of these seven is the best individually. Note that this will not take into account their ability to play with their teams but their personal record and performance.

**8\. Tetsuya Kuroko, Minnesota Timberwolves (C-)**

Offence: D  
Defence: D  
Assist: S  
Playmaking: B  
Overall Pick: Round 1, 27th  
Award: N/A

The Wolves have made a few questionable choices in the past, but even this doesn't fly past everyone's radars. Tetsuya's offensive and defensive skills are mediocre at best. His ball-handling is poor, ability to score is even worse and he's too small and skinny to be an effective defender. While he uses his strange lack of presence (probably due to his lack of skill?) to effectively move the ball around and create valuable offence opportunities for his allies, is it really worth sacrificing fundamentals for? Let's hope the Wolves have a plan for him and not gambling on another Japanese who can possibly give them an edge.

**7\. Taiga Kagami, Miami Heat (B)**

Offence: C+  
Defence: A+  
Assist: B+  
Playmaking: B  
Overall Pick: Round 1, 18th  
Award: N/A

Ah, yes, the NBA's Tiger who's done so much for Miami Heat. His defensive prowess is certainly one that is to be feared, thanks to his agility and verticality. His blocking average looks very pretty on paper too and he's currently the only one who can effectively stop Daiki from going all streetball on his team. Considering that Daiki's been crowned as one of the best unstoppable scorers, this is no small feat. Taiga's basket sense is respectable and he's terrific at keeping his marks out of the box. He would be much higher in the list if he makes some adjustment to his rather weak offensive showing. While his record of playing in UCLA is certainly impressive, his PPG is one of the lowest among our Jap rookies. Let's hope he'll show us some more bite after his break.

**6\. Tatsuya Himuro, Toronto Raptors (B+)**

Offence: B  
Defence: B  
Assist: A+  
Playmaking: B+  
Overall Pick: Round 1, 7th  
Award: N/A

An all-rounder with an unbelievable sense of adaptability. From the first game, he has shown a great analytical skill that he uses to read his teammates for better support and predict the enemy's movements. He has shown an impressive amount of synergy with Atsushi Murasakibara, rumoured to be a teammate of his back in high school. Together, they paved the way for Raptors to take their first championship in seven years. There's nothing much to say about him aside from being a great addition to any team. The reason why he's not any higher on this list is due to his status as a jack-of-all-trades. While his assists are certainly something to behold, everything else is nothing to write home about.

**5\. Atsushi Murasakibara, Toronto Raptors (B+)**

Offence: B  
Defence: S  
Assist: B  
Playmaking: C  
Overall Pick: Round 2, 35th  
Award: Most Improved Player

Taiga, but better. Atsushi's height, build and wingspan makes him a fearsome defender who averages 3.1 blocks per game, an improvement from his 2.3 the year before Tatsuya was drafted. His less than stellar motivation was the reason why he was ranked underneath Taiga for the first few years, but now that everything has been upturned, Atsushi is definitely a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. His presence on the court alone is enough to intimidate the offence, more often than not. Even though he isn't as effective as Taiga in stopping Daiki by himself, he's got Tatsuya and the entire team to back him up.

**4\. Shintarou Midorima, Milwaukee Bucks (A-)**

Offence: S  
Defence: C  
Assist: B  
Playmaking: B+  
Overall Pick: Round 2, 33rd  
Award: Rookie of The Year

The 3P god in the flesh who got Rookie of The Year award on the second year of his career. No one in the history of NBA has ever shot a 92% 3 pointer even from the circle and a few times, even from the other side of the damn ring. Pass the ball to him and he'll convert it into an instant basket with his insane, unstoppable arcs. While his scoring prowess is certainly something to drool at, he can be stopped. Make sure the ball doesn't fall into his hands or knock it out of his grasp before it has the chance to fly and he won't be as effective. While his stats have certainly increased over the years, he is nowhere as good in the other aspects of his plays as he is on the 3P but sometimes, it's perfectly fine to have only one weapon if it's that deadly. The Bucks must've been so happy with this draft steal.

**3\. Ryouta Kise, Golden States Warriors (A)**

Offence: S  
Defence: B  
Assist: A  
Playmaking: B-  
Overall Pick: Round 1, 5th  
Award: N/A

Ryouta has a very unique weapon which is his ability to make other people's style, his style. His endurance and sense of adaptability is top tier and that score is prone to change. He can suddenly ramp up in defence when he wants to or get even better at assist. All of this makes him an unpredictable wildcard who can be trusted to do just about anything perfectly. While there's no real flaw in his basket, copying seems to take a real toll on his mental and physical stamina (which is very understandable. I wonder why my ex doesn't get exhausted having multiple faces), resulting in him having to rest for one whole quarter or more. D'Alessio has since put a restriction on how long he can maintain a copy to preserve his star player's livelihood.

**2\. Daiki Aomine, Minnesota Timberwolves (A+)**

Offence: S+  
Defence: A  
Assist: C  
Playmaking: A+  
Overall Pick: Round 1, 1st  
Award: N/A

Daiki was advertised as a top-of-the-shelf PF with insane difficult shot percentage. No matter how many people are put to guard him, he laughs at them with his freestyle throws. His streetball moves have been nothing but enchanting to watch with his out of this world handling and erratic movement that confuses even the commentators. This is the second season he plays, yet no one has shown any sign of adjusting to his increasingly wild plays. Yes, he's a ball hog, but if he gets the job done, should anyone be complaining? With flashy plays like those, it's no surprise that he's the rookie that Nike's about to make a shoe line for.

**1\. Seijuuro Akashi, Los Angeles Clippers (A+)**

Offence: S  
Defence: A  
Assist: A  
Playmaking: A+  
Overall Pick: Round 1, 15th  
Award: Rookie of The Year

Why do I hear boss music? Akashi's offence might not be as flashy as Daiki's but he definitely gets the job done. And those ankle breaks? Those _ankle breaks_. His ball-handling skill is unbelievable and his movements are so unpredictable, the inexperienced players immediately get down on their knees. The only reason why he is ranked above Daiki is due to his great assist scores and ability to play with his teammates that can generate more points in the long run. His observation skill is not to be underestimated as well, considering he seems to know where everyone is (and will be) at a given time. This combined with his passing ability makes him a fantastic all-rounder that will certainly get Clippers very far this playoff.

> _Leave a comment (127) - Report - Share_


	32. Longing

Kagami never thought that the day would come where he'd feel _this_ nervous aside from being in the dark after watching horror movies. Or with dogs around. With Maru on his lap, the only presence keeping him calm, his legs idly swished back and forth. The spoiled feline curled and purred, eyes closed while he allowed Kagami to run his calloused fingers over her soft fur. For a cat her size, she was quite chubby. No doubt that Aomine and the rest of the Miracles had been spoiling her rotten.

He stroke the back of her ear and disturbing her collar slightly, making the bell ring just in time for Himuro to enter the room. There was a relief on his brother's face as he leaned on the doorframe with his arms crossed. Kagami didn't look at Himuro. He didn't have to. The dark-haired male smiled softly while he watched Kagami patting Maru while seated on an ergonomic chair in front of a PC.

"I'm glad you've finally come to your senses. In every good relationship—platonic or otherwise, communication is important, Taiga. I hope you understand that now. It can be the one thing that makes or breaks." Said the male gently while Kagami nodded weakly in understanding. "Well, he's here now. I hope you two can fix it." He turned around and put a hand on the doorknob but not quite pushing it down. "I'm sure you know that there is no other person quite like him."

"Yeah. I know that." Kagami chuckled nervously. What he witnessed in the bar last time showed him just how irreplaceable Aomine was. He sighed when Himuro left only to tense when another person walked in. He had his dark blue hoodie on. On the front was a large picture of the Timberwolves that Kagami thought fit him really well.

Aomine looked surprised, but who could blame him? Out of all the people to expect, he must've not seen this coming. After all, Kagami hadn't given him any head's up whatsoever.

Stuffing his hands in his pocket, Aomine stood on the door, back pressed against it as if wishing he could leave but somehow didn't. The fight they had, while brief, left a lasting scar on both men that created this unnerve. Kagami spent the entire afternoon planning out an entire speech, but now that Aomine was here, he forgot how to speak.

So, they remained on their respective spots awkwardly, waiting for someone to speak first. However, there were so many things to address and everything got jumbled inside Kagami's head. His lips moved but no words came out of them.

"'rry." Aomine muttered under his breath, taking Kagami's attention. "I shouldn't have said what I said." He rubbed the back of his head, bottom lip jutting out. "You know, about wishing that we never met. Because that's not my feelings at all. No matter what happens between us from here on, I'll always be happy that you were my first love."

Kagami let out a surprised breath, his cheeks turning red. His heart thumped so loudly in his chest, he feared that Aomine would be able to hear it.

"You stuck by me even though I thought nothing could fix me. You pulled me out of depression and you taught me how to love. I don't think I can _not_ fall for you. And I won't apologise for that or take that back no matter what." Despite the quiet tone, Kagami understood the sincerity behind the blunette's words.

"I-idiot..." He inhaled. "Why are you talking like I'm gonna reject you? You know full well that I return your feelings, right?" He shook his head before pointing at the bed, couldn't help but be awed at how cool Aomine had become. He was so brutally honest, telling him as it was and it made Kagami embarrassed that he was outdone. "Sit. I'll tell you everything."

And Aomine did as he was told. Slowly, he relaxed his shoulders and sat on the edge of the bed while Maru leapt from Kagami's arms into his.

"I guess the first thing I have to make clear is that Harvey is my ex." He glanced at Aomine as if to gauge his reaction.

"I know." He deadpanned, somehow managed to not sound absolutely pissed at Kagami's life decision. The redhead opened his eyes wide at that bombshell.

"How did you—"

"Annoying story I don't really wanna think about. Continue."

Kagami pursed his lips nervously but did as he was told.

"From the beginning, I knew that our relationship was doomed before it even began. He had always been an asshole to me, but honestly... that kind of brutal honesty was refreshing. It reminded me a lot of how we used to be, when we first met. You know, fighting, cursing... screaming at each other. All that jazz. One way or another, we ended up together." He rubbed the back of his neck, skipping the part where he thought he could use Harvey as a substitution for Aomine. "Well, it got worse. Our fights always get more explosive as time went on. You see, I knew that Harvey isn't gay. He'd play with women even when he was dating me and absolutely refused to display our relationship in public because he didn't want to taint his image.

"I thought it was kinda shifty... I didn't like it, but what could I say? I was _lonely_. I don't get along with my team, Jack's a racist and everyone else is miles away from Miami. Grady... as you know, he didn't get traded until three years ago. Naturally, I thought I'd be able to find sanctuary in Harvey, but he never defended me from the cruel words everyone directed at me." Even after all that word vomit, Aomine remained silent. Kagami could tell he was listening intently, though. "I held on too long. Three years. Can you believe I dealt with that for three whole years?"

"Unbelievable." The dark-skinned male shook his head.

"We barely ever did anything intimate. He stayed over often and I'd cook for him. We'd have sex sometimes, but... yeah. Harvey's not gay so he always told me to not make a noise. Guess it breaks his immersion. or something. When I told him I wanted to break it off, he outed me."

"No."

"Yeah." Kagami sighed when he saw the obvious fury in Aomine's face. "And he said I cheated on my boyfriend with other men. I mean, I guess I did. But wouldn't you?"

"You got no love, so honestly, I'm not surprised. He lost his right to comment on what you did when he started fooling around with women." Aomine scoffed. "He's a total asshole. Thinking about him makes me wanna punch something."

He chuckled in response to the aggression. It was nice to know that Aomine completely understood his reasoning. "That, the coach's treatment and my teammates' contempt of me led me to find escape in sex." He inhaled. "And an occasional cigarette."

"Kagami, you _what_."

"I know... I know. Trust me, I didn't like it either, but there's something comforting in indulging once in a while. It's not a habit, so don't worry." And before Aomine could say any more, he continued. "Do you know what started the chain reaction? The one reason that I got desperate enough to be with a jerk?"

Aomine frowned.

"It's you."

" _Me_?" He leaned back in surprise, eyes wide. Even though he got the idea from Alex, hearing it from Kagami's mouth was still unreal.

This was the part where Kagami's heart thundered. He had buried this so deep, he found it extremely difficult to vocalise it. For years, he denied it. To suddenly having to come to terms with it was daunting. "My feelings for you were too strong." He muttered quietly. "It broke my heart, you know... you not coming with me to America. I thought we had something... I thought you liked me back, especially the kiss..." He sucked in a breath. "And I didn't know if you'd ever come. Maybe the day I left, it was over... was what I thought. You never did bring up the kiss again, after all..."

"Kagami..."

He put a hand on his face to cover his shame. "I was scared, Aomine. That one day, you'd message me saying you found a girl or something... or that you'd finally tell me that all you feel towards me is platonic love. So I ran away as far as I could. I couldn't bear to face you because I was so head over heels for you and... and I guess I just wanted to forget about you before you do it first. Because who the hell am I... At the end of the day, I was just someone who tried too hard to be your equal."

His shoulders trembled in nervous laughter.

"It's pathetic, isn't it? I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. As I said, I was too scared to have my fears reaffirmed. I thought just a few more months would be enough for me to man up, but before I knew it, a year passed."

"I told you that I loved you at that hotel. What more do you need?" The taller male said while stress-petting his precious toyger. What bullshit! If it wasn't for Kagami trying too hard to be his equal, Aomine would have never fallen for him.

"Yeah. At that point, my fears shifted to anxiety. I get fucked by random guys every time I can, Aomine. I felt _dirty_." The voice that came out of his mouth was tinged with bitterness. He bit his lower lip. "Still do to this day. You deserve someone who doesn't whore himself out. And besides, your career was just getting started... if suddenly, news got out that you're dating another guy, your reputation..." And the fact that the Wolves might turn on him the way the Heat did.

"Fuck my reputation. You think I care about that? Not like it's gonna hinder my performance."

"Yeah, yeah. But you said it yourself, when you're down in the dumps, you do stupid shit." Both of them exchanged a brief chuckle before Kagami cleared his throat to get back to the point. "You tried to be patient, tried to reconnect, but I've done nothing. In fact, I've been ruining your attempts. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

There was a short silence that drew between the two that made Kagami's heart beat even louder. There. He laid it out for Aomine. At least, the brief summary. It was completely up to him whether or not to forgive and forget.

"I—" Kagami choked on his nerve. "I understand if you can't forgive me. I fucked up. But I really hope that we can go back to—"

"Shut up." The blunette muttered. "You know I can never stay mad at you. Besides, not all of it was your fault. I was being an inconsiderate jerk too. I'm not Tetsu, so I never know how to approach that kind of tension. I ended up saying the wrong thing and made you upset. We're both at fault, so just stop apologising."

In return, the redhead only stared at him.

"What?"

"Oh... uh... I dunno, I thought you'd be angrier at me, that's all." With his shoulders now visibly relaxed, he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. There was a tinge of red on his cheeks. "I'll never get used to you being all mature. Honestly, it makes me feel like I haven't grown up at all."

"What, you're embarrassed?" Aomine snorted.

"Fuck off."

Just like that, laughter rang inside the otherwise quiet room. Whatever tension that lingered in the air dissipated as if it never existed. The two men slowly eased back into wild chuckles before there were only smiles on their faces. Maru purred as her master stroked her fur while looking at her sleeping figure fondly. On the seat, Kagami flicked his fingernails idly.

"Kuroko made it, huh?"

"Yeah."

"I can't wait to see you two play. I bet you missed him too."

"Yeah."

"Hey, Aomine?"

"Hm?"

"If it's not too late, will you wait for me just three more days?"

That made Aomine scrunch his eyebrows. Then, he looked at Kagami who was still gazing down at the hands on his lap. He bit his lower lip at the flushed look on his friend's face that told him all he needed to know about what that sentence implied. "You mean... you... uh, wanna date me?"

When Kagami nodded, Aomine somehow managed not to scream out in excitement. Instead, a huge grin made its way onto his lips. He'd never admit just how chuffed he was at that moment. His heart hammered and his stomach was doing this weird backflip that he never thought possible.

"But I have to tie up the loose ends. Please. Just three days, I promise."

"What do you mean, Kagami—hey!" Curling his arms around his precious feline, he got to his feet just in time for Kagami to run out of the room. From the bedroom, Aomine could hear the boisterous redhead screaming out 'bye' to everyone else as he dashed past the front door in record time that left him stunned.

Something told him not to worry, though. So he merely walked out of the bedroom, offering a smile to his friends who stared at him questioningly.

"Got leftovers for me before I go?"

.

Nothing could ever come close to the euphoria of being in the court surrounded with so many people chanting their favourite team's name. No matter the gender or age, everyone united in their excitement over seeing two strong teams play in the playoff. Right now, the first seed Los Angeles Lakers were scheduled to play against the fourth seed, Minnesota Timberwolves who made a 180 from their pathetic showings for so many years before Aomine came in the picture.

They had never been the strongest at attacking, being one of the few teams that had never won a championship in the NBA history. What they had were a lot of playmakers who ran around like headless chickens with no one to rally around. It was no surprise to see all the puzzle pieces falling so seamlessly around their new power forward who averaged 31.2 points per game during the regular season. Once he entered the paint, you know that he'd score.

However, Aomine was not a man without any critiques because it was a set deal that came with fame. He was constantly criticised for his 'disrespectful' plays that were not necessary. It was as if he was having a kick from toying with his opponents and scoring in a roundabout way just to have fun.

"Fun. Isn't basketball meant to be fun?" The blunette rolled his eyes when he scrolled through his tweets before the game started.

"They just don't understand your style, Aomine-kun. It's when you start doing textbook plays that you're truly toying with them." Added Kuroko while he watched Aomine shoving his phone in the locker and slamming it shut. The two quickly made their way out of there to catch up with the rest of the team.

"You think you're gonna play today, Tetsu?"

There was a calculating hesitation in Kuroko's eyes, but in the end, he said: "I doubt it."

"Hm..." He eyed his old friend knowingly. When Kuroko had that _look_ on him, he knew that something was up. Maybe the shorter male was scheming something. "Lakers, huh? They beat Akashi last year."

"They _are_ the number one seed for a reason. McClain has also won four MVP awards throughout his career _and_ they have the strongest defensive player in their roster."

"Yeah. Honestly, we got lucky last year because he was out due to an injury because it was a close game as it was." He said as he waved at the crowd whose cheers became deafening the moment they stepped out. Somewhere from around them, people boo'd, which was a given because this was not their home court. Bright white light flooded Aomine's eyes, making him flinch momentarily. Then, he slapped Kuroko's back. "C'mon, Tetsu. Convince Aiden to give you some minutes, yeah? We'll show 'em what we can do."

It was the first game of the playoff and the energy was through the roof. Coming to the end of the first quarter, the Wolves were ten points behind in a 24-14 game. The Lakers did a stellar job in locking down the ball movements and keeping Aomine in check to ensure that no balls were to land into his hands. It was clear that they came in with a game plan and executed it perfectly. As a result, Aomine ended the quarter with only four points.

The second quarter was no different. Even with the occasional timeout to break the opponent's momentum, they struggled to keep up. It didn't help that they were in the LA, meaning that the Lakers had the home court advantage. With the crowd against them, they became more sluggish and Aomine grew more and more frustrated. Aiden had to pull him out for most of the third quarter just so he could cool his head.

_"The Wolves find themselves in a bit of a pickle here. This is the first time that Daiki has been shut down. For a man who prides himself on his scoring ability, this must be quite the hit on his mental. As we can see, he's still on the bench, clearly frustrated. But I believe it's the right call to pull him aside for now. Let's see if he will see more minutes on the floor later."_

Aomine covered his head with a towel, fists balled in annoyance as he glared daggers at the Lakers who were still leading by a sizeable amount. It was as if he didn't even play at all that day and it was seriously getting under his skin.

"Calm down, Aomine-kun." Kuroko patted his friend's shoulder. "The sooner you settle, the faster you'll get back in."

"Coach, can you sub me and Tetsu in?"

"What?" Aiden widened his eyes. "We just _got_ Tetsu. Sure, we played with him a few times, but—"

"Please. I promise it'll be worth your while."

Seeing the look of determination in Aomine's eyes, Aiden could only sigh. There was no stopping the ace when this happened. "I'll think about it, okay?" Well, he _did_ plan to play Kuroko sooner or later, but he didn't think they'd have to do it this early. 

Aomine was subbed in again on the fourth quarter when they were twenty points behind. He played with renewed ferocity and managed to outwit the defence a lot more than before. They gradually narrowed the score gap to eighteen, then fifteen. However, there wasn't much time left.

"Tetsu, you remember what I told you last time?"

"Yes, coach."

"Well, don't do it yet. I can't risk you getting injured. Just play as you normally would with Daiki."

"Understood." Keeping as poised as possible, he stood up and high-fived another player who paced out of the court. The short blunette shook off the sting on his hand at the too-powerful contact.

"About time." With a cocky smirk, Aomine wiped the sweat off his face. The clock said that there were 4 minutes 32 seconds remaining in the last quarter and they were down by fifteen. "Let's get this show on the road eh, Tetsu?"

"Yes."

.

No one really knew what to expect from this Kuroko Tetsuya that the Wolves wasted their draft pick on. The articles published online painted him in such a poor light that everyone booed the moment he was deployed. Seeing such a negative reaction made Satsuki puff up her cheeks. How dare those idiots boo her darling!?

In contrast, her parents only laughed at their daughter's dismay. Kiyoko stroke Satsuki's silky hair soothingly but she was inconsolable.

"They'll see what Tetsu-kun can do and they'll eat their words!"

"Of course, dear." Kojiro smiled.

"Mmm, you two aren't taking this seriously! Just watch. My darling will turn the tide and shift the momentum into their favour." Satsuki sulked when the whistle blew.

Almost immediately, Kuroko walked behind Aomine and faded away from sight. No one in the court could see him, so they played as if it was a 4 v 5. The way Aomine and the rest of the Wolves pushed the Lakers around, drawing the spotlight onto themselves only made Kuroko that much more invisible.

_"And the cut from McClain is good—wait, stolen! The ball is stolen by Tetsuya!"_

_"Fast break by the Wolves. Up it goes,"_ Kuroko lobbed the ball up in the air, _"and_ down _it goes!"_ The crowd went ballistic at the powerful two-handed dunk from Aomine who dangled on the ring for a few seconds. _"What a perfect alley-oop. And Daiki, he doesn't wanna let go of the ring!"_

 _"Where did he_ come _from!? The Lakers are just as surprised as everyone else is. Look, they're just standing there! Now, we've heard of the rumours about Tetsuya appearing and disappearing at will, but seeing it in person is... is unreal."_

The game then resumed while the commentators continued discussing their disbelief at Kuroko. However, it soon became apparent that they had once again lost track of the Phantom sixth man as flashy points were scored one after the other.

 _"Howard... now to Francis. Back to—deflected!"_ They exclaimed. _"Tetsuya, once again with the steal! Daiki sprinting for the fast break. What a_ beautiful _pass by Tetsuya right into Daiki's hand. The two-handed jam is good! That's his second assist of the game after two minutes of play. Unbelievable!"_

And on the seat, Satsuki was practically jumping up and down in excitement, not forgetting to clap her hands and cheering for her love. "Tetsu-kun! Tetsu-kun!"

Again, her parents only shook her head at their daughter's obvious lovestruck attitude.

That day, the Wolves might've lost by three, but Kuroko definitely made his point that he was there to play and that the other teams better watch out.

.

Kise was doing his post-game cooldown when his phone rang with a message from one of his reporter friends. She was freaking out about something that piqued his interest. While wiping down his sweat, he scrolled down the barrage of messages.

"Good game, Ryo." A teammate put his elbow on the blond's shoulder. "Sherryl?"

"Yep. She's got tea to spill, it looks like. You know how she is, ear always on the ground." He laughed in that carefree tone of his. 

_Ryo OMG  
_ _OMGGGG  
_ _Ryo  
_ _You know Taiga, right?  
_ _Like, that Heat Taiga  
_ _The one who took a break  
_ _Well, I heard a few mins ago  
_ _he's about to open his mouth  
_ _about yknow, why he took a break  
_ _we all thought it's injury  
_ _but he vehemently denied it  
_ _anyway, he's breaking his silence now  
_ _press conference style  
_ _a drama king but i like that guts  
_ _it's happening in like, an hour  
_ _in LA  
_ _near staples  
_ _think the wolves just finished their match too  
_ _reckon Daiki knows?  
_ _anyway im going there_

Kise chuckled at her excitement before typing up a single reply of: _'if you don't breathe, you'll choke, Sher'_

Then, he pulled up Aomine's number.

.

Aomine practically fought his way inside the room the moment he set foot in the premise, sweat and all. Before it all started, Kagami must've given the security the thumbs up to let Aomine in. So here he was, standing behind a room full of fifty reporters pointing their cameras at the man sitting behind the desk on the stage. On his back was a splash wallpaper of tiled NBA logo and Miami Heat's.

Poor Kagami was sitting alone, jittery and obviously out of his depth. His shoulders were tense as he adjusted the mic in front of him while his eyes scoured around the room to see a familiar face that he soon found. It looked like seeing Aomine calmed his nerve because he soon took a deep breath.

"Uhm," He started. "As you all know, I'm here to tell you guys the reason why I took a year-long break this season. No, it's not because of my injuries because I assure you, I'm perfectly healthy." The sound of shutter clicking made Kagami flinch. "This is something that has been brewing in my team for a couple of years now. I haven't made it public because I didn't want to create drama... and also because I was a rookie back then, so anything I'd say will just be brushed off."

Aomine gave Kagami an encouraging nod.

"You see, it hasn't been all sunshine and rainbow in there. Coming into NBA, I never thought that I'd have to deal with a racist coach," The shutter became even louder and the murmur began. "And equally disgusting teammates—except of Grady who has been nothing but a rock for me. They pushed me, belittled me and ignored my request to do more for the team." With each word, Kagami's voice grew firmer and more confident. This time, he looked up from the sheet of paper on the desk. "I'm no defence player. I'm far more comfortable on the offence. Time and time again, I tried to make this clear with Jack, but he had always been insistent on pushing me aside.

"While I understand that sometimes you have to compromise to meet the need of the team, you can do it in a more encouraging way. Letting me score when I can, for instance. However, every time I try to take the initiative, he'd pull me into the bench and make cruel, racist comments about how Asians don't belong in this world." The chatter grew even louder. This time, a few people started asking questions out of turn but when Kagami raised his hands, they all zipped it.

"They'd blame me for every point taken, alienated me after game after every win and verbally abused me after every loss. It was _living hell_." His voice started to break and Aomine wanted nothing more but to go up to the stage and hug the poor, exhausted thing. "The only thing that kept me going was my love for basketball. But even that gets old. Sometimes I don't even know if it's worth pursuing my dream if it comes at the cost of my happiness.

"In saying that, my contract with the Heat is now over. I have no intention whatsoever to continue playing with them. I am a free agent now and if no one drafts me, then so be it. I just have this to say," His red eyes brightened, his fire grew hotter and hotter still. "You haven't seen anything from me yet. I can still do so much more and I _will_ give it my all, if a team would like to have me. Thank you." After a big swallow, he visibly deflated.

Cacophony of voices immediately echoed inside the room. Everyone jumped up to ask questions, but Kagami pointed at the woman on the front seat.

"Taiga, you mentioned that you had to deal with racism from your coach, but does this extend to your teammates too? You mentioned they were 'disgusting'." She pointed the mic at the redhead.

Kagami glanced at Aomine who only narrowed his eyes. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious what Kagami would say. Would he come out publicly or...

"I'm gay."

Simultaneous gasps deafened the two basketball pros. It was followed with a barrage of queries that Kagami had to speak over.

"Yes, I'm gay and everyone—except Grady—in the team are homophobes. They constantly make hurtful comments about my sexuality. I don't understand why the fact that I like other guys make me less of a human being. And why I would have to be ridiculed for something I can't control. I don't care if this taints my reputation. I just want to make sure the world knows of their discrimination and for them to hopefully realise that they are closed-minded idiots."

"Taiga! Did you have any relationship with anyone in the team—" "Men were seen coming in and out of your hotel, are they—" "Taiga, does your sexuality hinder your—"

Unfortunately for everyone, Kagami already had enough of public talking because he was quick to get to his feet and firmly said: "That's all I want to say. Thank you." As he left, barrage of questions persisted, but Aomine wanted no part of it. Instead, he ran outside to find the backdoor where Kagami would leave from.

Surprisingly, he was let in. Again, it must've been Kagami's order. The blunette rushed towards the preparation room where Kagami was surely winding down after such a mentally exhausting session. He ran as fast as he could towards the door and stopped when he saw it opening, revealing Kagami whose face was slightly damp after he threw cold water on it.

Refusing to take even one second delay, Aomine pulled Kagami into a crushing hug. He caught a whiff of Kagami's cologne mixed with shampoo that helped to ground him. Kagami, too, was just as excited—maybe relieved was a more accurate description—shown by the way he returned the gesture just as firmly. The redhead buried his nose on the crook of Aomine's neck, chuckling nervously into it.

"H-how did I do?"

The taller male grinned, rubbing a comforting hand up and down Kagami's back soothingly. "Fucking amazing. You did so good." When he was replied with a loud, liberated laugh. "How does it feel to finally get it all out?"

Kagami had no intention on letting go, it seemed. He fisted Aomine's shirt as he answered the question. "Good. So damn good. I feel so free... like I can finally leave that life behind, you know? There's no going back anymore and honestly? I don't mind that."

"Good riddance, yeah? The next team that'll draft you will be much better, I promise."

"I—" He choked, voice brimming with happiness and light that Aomine hadn't heard for a long while. "I hope so... god."

They exchanged more giggles as they slowly peeled themselves away from each other though their eyes lingered, forcing blue to meet red. Ecstasy thrummed in Aomine's heart as they stood there in silence, their fingers stroking each other like they wanted to intertwine but there was a lack of courage. So, Aomine took the initiative. He pulled Kagami's hand in his, brought it up and ran his lips along the knuckles.

"I'm so proud of you, Kagami." He sighed wistfully.

"T-thanks..." The redhead replied bashfully, his cheeks turning pinkish at the gesture of affection. "Look, Aomine, I—" He stopped the moment their eyes met again. "I... uh..."

"Yes?" Hope bloomed in his chest at the sheepish look Kagami gave him. Was it finally gonna happen? What he had been hoping for, for the past few years?

"I... well, I..." He scratched the side of his chin. "Ugh, screw this."

It happened so quickly.

A tanned hand moved forward to cup the cheek with darker colour. The tentative yet smooth motion was then followed with a soft sensation over Aomine's lips.

For a moment, the two remained unmoving. Especially Aomine who only stared, unblinking, at Kagami's face so close in front of him. All the while, the man's masculine scent became even more pungent the longer he stood there, gobsmacked. As he became a little more accustomed to Kagami's lips each millisecond, his fingers twitched and his own lips trembled. He had been dreaming about this moment for years now and now that it arrived, how was he supposed to react?

The kiss, which only lasted about three seconds, felt like hours for Aomine who couldn't even find it in him to breathe. It was like his throat clogged up, though not because of sorrow this time. His heart pounded loudly as he tried to decide what to do next. Oh... kissing back. Yes, that would be good, right?

So he tried moving his limbs to do something. Anything. Well, he _tried_ , but that didn't mean he succeeded. All Aomine managed to do was a soft inhale that made Kagami slowly pull away. There was uncertainty in his red orbs as he stared into the taller in disbelief.

Kagami's entire visage was painted in uncertainty. Longing. _Hope_. Ah, how long had it been since he last saw such an expressive body language from Kagami? Usually, he was always drenched in anxiety despite the sunny grin he tried so hard to put forth. Every time Kagami gave him a smile, he felt his heart twisting and contorting. There was not a single time where Kagami was truly happy, but right now, even if the redhead wasn't smiling, Aomine could see; could _feel_ the relief.

"Aomine...?" He glanced up through his long bangs, looking far cuter than a professional athlete had any rights to be.

The blunette's vision soon blurred, concealing the panic in Kagami's face as he flinched.

"Shit, a-are you okay!?" He panicked.

"Huh?" Aomine's lips shivered as he brought up a hand to touch the underside of his eye to see that it was wet. In fact, his whole cheek was drenched in running tears that came from his eyes. "W-what the fuck?" 

Unsure of whether or not it was okay to touch his friend, Kagami flailed around helplessly. There was no one in sight that could help bail him out of this predicament, so he resorted to reaching towards Aomine's shoulder but not quite making the contact.

"I-I'm sorry! I shouldn't have done that. I- uh, I know how much a kiss means to you, so... that was—"

"Ugh... just shut up." He rubbed his wet eyes with his long sleeves. "I just wasn't expecting that, okay?" After he was convinced that his face was dry, he began chuckling. His heart was so aflutter, it was laughable. The sudden change in mood confused the hell out of Kagami who now only stared. "W-warn me next time, Bakagami."

"Wait, s-so..."

"Taiga!!!" Before Kagami had a chance to finish his sentence, a million footsteps came running at them and that was when they realised that the reporters had caught up to them.

The redhead cleared his throat and glanced apologetically at Aomine. "Uh, let's finish this la—"

Again, he was interrupted by Aomine who grabbed Kagami's hand and intertwined their fingers together before facing the multitude of cameras looming in front of them.

Aomine took a deep breath.

"Listen up!" He screamed as loudly as he could, making everyone flinch collectively. Then, Aomine lifted their arms up in the air. "I'm dating Taiga now! If anyone wanna fuck with him, you gotta go through me. And mark my word," He narrowed his eyes menacingly. "I don't play nice."

"Ao—"

This time, it was Kagami's turn to flush red and be rendered speechless as Aomine closed the distance between them. Their lips met again as the shutter clicked all around them, no doubt immortalising this moment for years to come.

Despite that, Kagami didn't mind it at all. In fact, his heart beat harder still as he melted under Aomine's comforting warmth. As cliched as it might be, he didn't realise how cold and black-and-white the world was until right now. With the blunette's masculine scent wrapping him, he felt blanketed like nothing could ever hurt him. How foolish had he been to deny this for so long.

Aomine pulled away slightly only to press his lips on the shell of Kagami's ear. "Are you ready, Taiga?"

There was no other answer. There had never been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm running behind on my word quota of the week and if I don't update next week, blame NBA  
> Also I'm kinda a fan of Miami Heat now and I feel so bad I did them dirty in this fic. I was foolish pepehands
> 
> Anyway, here's an outline of how the NBA works after hours of research and I swear I think I'm still so foggy on most of it
> 
> 1\. Draft lottery: teams with the worst records are more likely to get the first pick. This year, Wolves actually got the first pick bc they did so bad  
> 2\. Drafting: Each potential player usually has their own agent (I totally neglected this rofl)  
> 3\. Free Agent: Each player gets a contract, I think usually 4 years and once this runs out, they can choose to accept the contract extension or refuse it which means they are free agents. Free agents can be drafted by any team whose contract they like  
> 4\. Games: These players get made into characters in the NBA2K franchise so now I imagine Aomine and Kagami playing as their character against each other lmao  
> 5\. Playoffs: 16 teams with the best record from each conference (East and West) play in their own conference block. The best from east and the best from west will play against each other in the finals
> 
> anyway enough rambling fdjkjkdfjkdf i hope this chap wasn't weird!!


	33. You and I

Following the press conference, there were a lot of chatters surrounding the professional athlete who just came out as an openly gay man. Many people rallied around this brave man who destroyed the stereotypes of flamboyant gay men. After all, Kagami was a 200 cm basketball player, stacked from head to toe with muscles.

Whether or not they were positive or negative squabbles, Kagami paid no attention to it.

Because how could he? After a long nine years of fumbling around, dancing around each other and pretending like there was no love between him and Aomine, they could finally let loose. Media be damned. Kagami doubted that anything could pull him back to Earth after what just happened half an hour ago.

Akashi had kindly came by with his shiny Cadillac and escorted the two men swamped by reporters to safety. He dropped them by at the nearest luxury hotel, claiming that they'd need their alone time, which wasn't wrong. They were glad to have privacy instead of cooping in the corner in Akashi's house, disturbing everyone with their overflowing emotion.

The first thing they did the moment they opened the door, surprisingly enough, wasn't sex. Instead, they held each other in the entryway for a few minutes, doing and saying nothing. All they did was breathe each other's scents as if re-familiarising themselves. After all, too many years had passed since they last could do this without the nagging pit on the bottom of their stomachs.

Aomine was the first to move. With a sigh, his chest deflated and he slowly pulled away. Not far, just enough distance so their foreheads touched. "Damn... finally, huh?" He let out a nervous laughter, fingers lacing with Kagami's. "I'm not dreaming, right? Hey—ow!"

"Haha!" Kagami's cheerful laughter rang after he pinched the darker arm. "No, Ahomine. You're not."

The two smiled, eyes fully open so they could stare into each other. It was embarrassing for Kagami to be looked at with such love, and it was a sensation he thought he'd forgotten. After all, what he got in return was usually disinterest or disdain. 

"Call me by my first name."

"Huh?" The redhead blinked, his cheeks flushed. "...Uhm... yeah. I should, huh, Daiki?"

"Taiga."

"Yes, Daiki?"

"Taiga." The blunette grinned.

"Daiki?" The shorter male giggled in response.

No other word needed to be spoken. Aomine swiftly cut the distance between them. Their lips met into a surprisingly soft kiss as the taller backed his new boyfriend towards the bed. When Kagami's leg hit the edge, he allowed himself to be eased down onto the fluffy mattress. The hotel room's comforting scent is drowned away by Aomine.

"God, you have no idea how long I've been waiting for this." Said Aomine after he withdrew for a breath.

Underneath him, Kagami smiled gently, then he put a hand on Aomine's cheek.

And Kagami, he had always been so warm. Today was no exception.

"I was right." He said fondly. "You're a gentle lover, Daiki."

"Huh? You think I'd be an asshole to my partner? I'm _hurt_." The dark-skinned male joked before he leaned in for another kiss.

They continued to indulge in each other throughout the night. Occasionally, they'd make small talks meant to tease, but that was it. Their eyes didn't wander, their hands didn't slide any lower than the cheek and their thoughts were definitely far from impure. They weren't really sure when they fell asleep, but when they arose, their limbs tangled.

Kagami was the first to stir thanks to the sunlight pouring into their hotel room. They were too distracted yesterday to close the curtain. The redhead glanced at the weight on his chest where Aomine lied, drool spilling out of his mouth onto Kagami's chest. The sight made Kagami chuckle, then he stroke Aomine's soft blue locks gently.

Kagami didn't dare disturb Aomine. Instead, he closed his eyes again and slowly drifted off.

When he opened his eyes next, it was already 11 AM. He moaned and stretched his limbs before landing a kiss on top of Aomine's head, in turn, making him stir.

"Morning, sleepyhead." The redhead smiled.

Groggily, Aomine yawned, then turned to face Kagami where he proceeded to rest his chin on top of his boyfriend's chest—gosh. Boyfriend!—and grinned at him. "Hey there."

"Hey yourself."

"Don't you have practice?" Despite that, Kagami didn't let go.

"Yeah. They've already started, probably."

"Dude!" Now, _that_ was enough for him to rip Aomine away and dump him on the side. "Go take a shower and go! You can't miss practice. Not when you have a game later!"

"Shesh, it's nothing important... we don't do anything crazy before games anyway, so it doesn't matter if I go or not."

"Of course, it matters! Come on, let's go take a shower and we'll get a cab there."

"Mmm..." Moaned Aomine lazily as Kagami practically dragged him by the arm out of bed. He rubbed his eyes while he trailed after his new boyfriend who swiftly undressed him and pushed him into the cold water where he screamed. "Dude, what's that for!?"

"So you wake up, Ahomine. I'll go text Kuroko, so you'd better get ready!" The redhead slammed the door shut, then he made a beeline to his phone.

And then he winced.

A million messages bombarded his phone. Some of them were from Grady, some from... oh god, Jack... Harvey, Ellis and the rest of his teammates. He quickly swiped right to get rid of the notification before looking for Kuroko's name. There was one new message that said:

_'I've told Aiden that Aomine-kun will be running late. Everyone understands why, so please try to get him here as soon as possible. Oh, by the way - I'm very proud of you, Kagami-kun. You did the right thing and more. Congratulations.'_

A smile bloomed on his face at the much-needed validation. Judging from Kuroko's usual tone, he could only assume that the Wolves had no qualms about Aomine being a homosexual. Hopefully, anyway.

He then began going through all the other messages. One from Wakamatsu and the other Touou gang, a few from Satsuki, some missed calls from his dad. Those were the ones he prioritised for now.

_Wakamatsu: Dude WHAT THE FUCK!? YOU DIDN'T TELL ME ABOUT THIS??? BRO, WHAT!_

_Imayoshi: I hope you're fine, Kagami. Sounds like you've been through a lot. Shame that I'm not there to give them a piece of my mind._

_Sakurai: Kagami, I can't believe your teammates treated you so badly like that... I'm sorry to hear it! I hope you're fine now..._

_Susa: I understand why you didn't talk to us, but know that we're here for you_

_Satsuki: KAGAMIN!!! O.M.G! You did it! I'm so, so so so so sooooooo proud of you!!! And you even got Dai-chan to admit that too!_

_Dad: Tai? Call me._

After replying to all those messages, he gave his dad a call. Within only one ring, it was picked up.

 _"Tai, are you okay? Where are you now?"_ Tobyn's concerned voice could be heard from the other line.

"I'm fine, dad. I'm at the hotel near Staples right now. Daiki's with me, so..."

 _"Okay... good. Good."_ The elder sighed in relief. _"Why didn't you tell me about it, Tai? Did you not trust me?"_

"It's not that! I just didn't want to make you worry is all... I mean, you've got your hands full with your business, so I didn't want to add more to your plate." He scratched his head.

 _"I thought you'd say that."_ Even through the phone, Kagami could envision his dad shaking his head and massaging his temple. _"Listen, Tai. I don't care how busy I am, I always have time for you. I know I'm not a dad of the year material, but I really, really love you, son."_

Again, Kagami felt his eyes stinging. Tobyn would never understand how much it meant to Kagami, for his father to have his back. "I love you too, dad."

_"Oh, and once playoff is over, let's have dinner together. Bring Daiki too. Take care, Tai."_

"I will. Thanks." The moment he ended the call, Aomine walked out of the bathroom with a towel hanging low around his waist. It was only then that Kagami felt his lower region heating up.

"Who was that?" The blunette leaned down into the mini-fridge and grabbed a small carton of milk the hotel had so graciously provided.

"Dad." He stood up and sauntered towards Aomine to land a kiss on his lips. It tasted like mint toothpaste. Aomine's hair was still damp and his face freshly washed. The smell of hotel-issued shampoo lingered in Kagami's nose as they shared a warm good morning greeting. "Put some clothes on and we'll go.

"In a sec." Aomine grinned before going in for another taste of Kagami's mouth. "Gross. Go brush your teeth, idiot."

"Screw you, asshole."

"Uh-huh."

Kagami flipped Aomine off prior to entering the bathroom, leaving the dark-skinned male laughing to himself as he grabbed his abandoned jacket. It was terrifying how quickly they settled into this relationship, but Aomine wasn't gonna complain. He quickly put on some pants, then checked his phone. Too many damn messages. He ended up stuffing it in his pocket without checking it.

About ten minutes later, Kagami walked out, also freshly showered. "C'mon, we're overdue for the check out." He ruffled his red hair to dry it off.

"Wait," Aomine looked up from the bed. "Another one."

Kagami chuckled when he saw Aomine closing his eyes and jutting his head forward. The redhead gladly met him halfway for another peck. "Clingy."

"Shut up."

"Up!" He grabbed his boyfriend's wrists and pulled him up. Good thing they didn't bring anything with them, so they casually walked towards the exit where Aomine tugged on the back of Kagami's shirt.

"Whatever happens beyond this door, you know I'll be here for you, yeah?"

There was nothing but sincerity in Aomine's deep blue eyes that made Kagami marvel at their beauty. If only he had those looking at him from the very beginning, how much different would his life be?

Kagami laced his fingers with Aomine's, then he nodded. "I know. And so will I."

.

"Where's the loverboy?" Hakim gulped what was left of his water before turning towards Kuroko who was busy tying his shoelaces.

"He will be here soon. He might be ecstatic that his love, nine years in the making, is finally coming to a fruition, but I will not let him skip practice because of it." Despite his flat answer, he was actually extremely glad for the event last night.

"Man... I should've guessed that he swings that way." Jay scratched the back of his head. "I mean, he kept refusing our hooker offer, right? I wonder how we didn't see that coming. And Tetsu, you've known all along?"

Kuroko nodded. "In a way. When we were teenagers, he was obsessed over women's breasts, but he ended up falling for Kagami-kun. At the time, he didn't want to admit it, but he came to terms with it quite peacefully. I suppose deep down, he knew that there was no other person."

"Hold on." Aiden interrupted. " _Nine_ years. Are you telling me they know each other before this too?"

"...Oops." Kuroko deadpanned. He totally forgot they were to keep this hush-hush.

"Tatsuya and Atsushi were high school friends. You and Dai were middle school buddies. Now you're telling me Taiga and Dai knew each other too, for _nine_ years?" The coach practically drew his head back and everyone else stared at Kuroko too. "Don't tell me all the Japs were from one generation? I mean sure, I guess all of you are the same age and..."

"Ah... the cat is out of the bag." Kuroko sighed. "Please keep this under wraps. We would hate for this to be a media sensation, but yes, we all played with and competed against each other back in Japan. We know everyone's playstyles like the back of our hands. Aomine-kun and Kagami-kun were the most feared dynamic duo along with Himuro-kun and Murasakibara-kun..." He looked up to see everyone's eyes wide open in shock. "We go a long way. All of us."

"So Daiki and Taiga were—"

The door was pushed open before they could say any more.

"Yo." Aomine waved nonchalantly with Kagami standing behind him awkwardly.

"Loverboy!" Hakim lunged at him and put him in a playful headlock, then headed straight to Taiga. He put an arm around his back and dragged him inside the practice area containing two indoor courts. "Taiga, Taiga, Taiga. That sucks what you gotta go through, man."

"Stop crowding him, idiot." Aomine all but peeled Hakim's arm away and pulled Kagami close to him.

The redhead laughed at that. His smile was pure and his cheeks were rosy. In short, cute. "It's okay, I won't die." Then he waved at Kuroko. "Good luck with practice. I'll head off now."

"Wait, Taiga!" Aiden called out before the athlete could leave. "Do you wanna join practice? I'm not gonna lie, I'm interested in drafting you."

"Coach!" Aomine went slack-jawed at the sudden proposition. When his head shot towards Kagami, he was met with an equally surprised expression.

"Ah, actually..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "The Lakers' coach wants to speak to me over lunch. And after that, a representative from Sixers, then I have one from Orlando Magic later in the day..."

"Damn, I was too slow, huh?" He laughed. "Well, whatever they're offering, I'll match it."

"It's not about the money for me. I want a team that will be able to accommodate me as a scorer. As much as I'd love to play with Daiki, I think for now, I'd like to play with a team that will let me unleash my full potential... Not saying that yours won't do it, though! I guess... the position of a scorer is already Daiki's, so I don't want to ruin that chemistry. If you get what I mean..."

Aiden nodded in understanding. "Of course, Taiga. After being chained for so long, of course you'd want to let loose."

"Exactly!" He grinned. "Also, I've been dying to face Daiki on the court, so in a way, I'm just being selfish by refusing."

"Hah, don't feel bad. I totally understand where you're coming from." He tapped Kagami's shoulder. "It's a brave thing what you did yesterday."

That made Kagami nod sheepishly before he looked at Aomine to bid farewell for the afternoon. He left the Wolves' practice area feeling full.

.

The light chitter-chatter mixed with the aromatic waft of sweets lingered in the air. Many guests, mostly teenage girls, walked into the feminine shop with pink decoration, blushing wall and pastel furniture. Among these beautiful girls were two men who stuck out like a sore thumb, obviously garnering stares and whispers.

Two blonds approached the pair with black markers on their hands before they extended their arms to show their items. "Uhm, I'm a huge fan, Tatsuya! Will you sign this for me?"

"Mm? Sure." Himuro gladly uncapped the marker and signed the Toronto shirt one of them was wearing. For the other, he signed a cap. The two girls said their eager thank yous before they turned towards Murasakibara who was slouching over the table like a big baby. With a chuckle, Himuro shook his head. "I'm sorry, he's indisposable. I appreciate your support."

"Okay! Good luck at your match against the Heat tomorrow."

Himuro waved at them before focusing back on his boyfriend who had a pout. "Patience, Atsushi. The cakes will arrive any time now."

"Mmm... it's not that. I'm just annoyed that they always find us no matter we go..."

The dark-haired male laughed at the comment. "We're professional athletes now, so we can't run away from the fans." At the disgruntled mumble, Himuro only smiled. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"Mm. We're carrying out the plan, right?"

"Of course. Since they're in our conference, we'll... teach them a lesson. I've been dying to play against them too. Last time was hardly enough to show them what would happen if anyone wrongs our Taiga."

"Kaga-chin and Mine-chin are finally together." He remarked.

"About time, don't you think? Honestly... We're here nine years into our relationship and they're just starting theirs. I feel so old." He sighed. Then, on the corner of his eyes, he spotted the waitress carrying a huge tray full of their order. "Ah, it's here. Make space, Atsushi."

"Cakeees..." The taller male cheered with a sparkle in his eyes when five different, huge slices of cakes were set in front of them. One of them was covered in chocolate crumbles with orange slices, there was one with popping candies and... "Hm?" He picked up the shiny item half-buried in the cake.

Murasakibara popped the bottom half in his mouth to clean it off the icing. It was cold, smooth and a little metallic. When he pulled it out to observe it, he noticed that it was a gold ring with a gleaming amethyst on the crown. He looked at Himuro with a slightly unsure expression.

Leaning forward, Himuro intertwined his fingers and rested his chin on them. "How does forever sound to you?"

"Forever with Muro-chin?" His eyes slowly grew wide. It was clear that even through his usual indifferent facade, there were anticipation and joy blooming inside him. It might not be obvious for strangers, but for Himuro, it was as clear as day.

"Will you marry me, Atsushi?"

A smile bloomed on Murasakibara's face as he allowed his boyfriend of nine years to discreetly slip the clean ring on his finger, then leaving him to marvel at the sparkly gem that looked like rock candy. He didn't answer, but he nodded and clutched his balled fingers using his other hand.

It might seem like nothing special for most people, but for Murasakibara, it was perfect. He hated dealing with crowd, after all. As long as he was with Himuro, he cared for little else.

.

Articles after articles were published on this whole Taiga fiasco. They were all selling like hot cakes as people began to openly put the Miami Heat under intense fire for their poor treatment of Kagami. People flocked to the social media, telling them what shitty human being they were—some definitely for brownie points, but others, out of genuine disappointment.

Jack had since made a public denial of any wrongdoings and so did the rest of the team. However, their collective counter-argument was made almost obsolete when Grady stepped into the spotlight to back Kagami's statement. Just like Kagami, he, too, decided to not play with the Heat anymore. While his contract remained, he had relinquished any desire to play next season.

And while the feedback of Kagami's sexuality had not always met with positivity, they were only the minority. Claims that a plan of a new contract between him and the Lakers had been leaked and many journalists were quick to make assumptions of what this would mean for the boys in yellow and purple.

As for Kagami, he chose to turn a blind eye to the drama. Instead, he began to religiously attend all of Aomine's games. People easily recognised him for his flaming red hair and intense eyebrows, but he ignored most of them. When someone tried to talk to him, he'd just politely shake his head and hoped it'd deter them. Most of the time, it worked. When it didn't, he'd glare at them.

The Wolves had been doing really well. The Lakers certainly wasn't expecting this amount of fight, considering how they managed to take it to game 7. Today was the tiebreaker.

While he intently watched his boyfriend playing one of his best games with Kuroko, he smiled. It was always so nice to watch Aomine play and Kagami made it clear with stolen kisses after his matches that slowly grew more and more passionate. It was like they were re-learning each other's bodies all over again. This pace was certainly slower than their teenage years which started with a bang. Honestly? Kagami didn't mind it at all. There was something sweet about taking it slow, something that they didn't have the opportunity to do when they were young.

After all, he didn't remember ever feeling so aflutter the way he did now whenever they held hands or when they hugged or when they fooled around in the shower. This was something he never thought he'd experience, especially after coming down from his toxic relationship. 

_Boyfriend_. _Aomine_. He still couldn't believe it. For the longest time, he thought his pining was one-sided. If only he trusted his judgment from the very beginning, then none of this would've happened. He'd never have been vulnerable enough to take shit from Harvey which started the chain reaction.

And even though he was disappointed that the Wolves lost that day, he was also glad because that meant he'd get to spend more time with Aomine.

"Aahh, what a bummer." The whole way to the restaurant they decided to eat at, Aomine was pouting. His fingers intertwined on the back of his head as they drew closer to their destination.

"Defense fell apart near the end, huh?"

"They're just not trying hard enough. This is the problem with those lazyasses, On the offense? They're a hell yeah, but on defense? God. I can barely stand watching it."

"Come on, not like you're contributing much either." Jabbed Kagami, but before Aomine could object, he put a hand on his boyfriend's waist so they could press closer. "I'm kidding. I know, five steals, right? You did well."

Aomine's expression visibly brightened at that, much to Kagami's amusement. The blunette really was a kid inside.

"You're really joining the Lakers?" Aomine asked, this time putting his own arm around Kagami's shoulder. If this was Japan, he wouldn't dare do something so bold. However, in America, no one gave a rat's ass.

Kagami nodded. "I think their team is a great fit for me. Just like LeBron, McClain's a playmaker. They need someone to execute and they figured they'll trial me for an offensive position."

"You'll be a PF too?"

"Yeah." The redhead grinned. "Just so you know, we'll wipe the floor with you guys again next year."

"Fucking try me." The blunette playfully elbowed his boyfriend as they entered the restaurant. As usual, eyes turned towards them. The curse of popularity.

Aomine and Kagami were quickly escorted towards a secluded corner while the staff members implored everyone to leave the two athletes alone. There, a man holding a menu waved at them.

"Hey, boys."

"Dad, you made it!" Kagami greeted cheerfully. 

"Cleared my schedule as soon as I heard the game's over. You played incredibly well, Daiki. I still don't understand how you can shoot so accurately with those ridiculous moves. That thing you did five minutes into the second half? Seriously unreal." He motioned at them to sit down and they did just that.

"I gotta admit, that felt good. Hated that we lost, but I thought my scores were pretty good."

"You got a third of your team's overall score! That's an accolade." He set down the menu in favour of looking at the two. "Still, my Tai's gonna win next year."

"Doubt." Aomine gave a shit-eating grin that made the three laugh.

"I've ordered some food, so you can relax unless you want some more. Tai, how are you doing?"

"Never better." He side-smirked when he saw the overhead TV displaying Jack and the Heat players being crowded by journalists. "Though I finally got around to reading what messages they sent me after I did the press conference."

"Show me!" Aomine all but snatched Kagami's phone off the table and put in the password he already knew. He scrolled past messages from Wakamatsu, Imayoshi and Sakurai right to a few familiar names. After clearing his throat, he read out the message out loud. "You're gonna fucking pay for this, you good-for-nothing loose-ass fag. Wow, okay, that's actually pretty jerky."

Kagami shrugged in response while Tobyn looked absolutely scandalised. "Just someone getting butthurt from getting ratted out. I find it funny."

Aomine looked into Kagami's eyes to see no trace of pain, only relief. So, he smiled and kissed his forehead, not forgetting to ruffle his hair before going back to the phone. "I didn't do anything, Taiga! Come on, we were buddies! I even bought you chocolate that time." He turned towards Kagami. "Did he really?"

"Nope."

"Asshole."

Aomine then proceeded to read the rest of the messages as they waited for their food to arrive. Toybn always looked angrier after each comment made, but he ultimately didn't say anything because he could tell that Kagami was truly fine. Little did he know that under the table, Aomine was rubbing small, comforting circles to the back of Kagami's hand that soothed him.

"Oh, right, uhm," Kagami glanced sideways. "How did your dad react?"

Aomine snorted. "He thought we were already dating. Called me to express his absolute shock."

That made the shorter smile. "I'm glad you two are on talking terms now."

"Yeah." It never ceased to flabbergast him, thinking about it. This was one of the many positive impacts that Kagami left in his wake.

A trolley full of cooked American steak, sauce, crinkle-cut french fries, salad, and chicken wings was then carted towards their table. The smell was absolutely heavenly and the two boys immediately gorged themselves without a care in the world. Tobyn ate while watching the pair with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

"I'm glad you two are finally together. You have no idea how worried I was for Taiga, but now that you're here, I can rest easy."

"Come on, dad. He's not _that_ responsible." The redhead rolled his eyes.

"More responsible than you, though. I left you for five years and you decided to self-destruct. God knows what would've happened if I came any later." Aomine quipped.

"Point is you didn't."

"But what if I did?"

"But you didn't! Your reasoning doesn't count."

"It does!"

"Doesn't!"

Watching the childish bickering, Tobyn shook his head and wondered if everything really would be okay.

.

The semi-final for the season was decided at last. Out of the sixteen teams that made the playoff, eight of them moved on to the next bracket. People thought it was quite the upset that Wolves got knocked out early, but thought they put up a hell of a fight anyway.

Among these teams was Miami Heat. People had begun to openly 'boo' and insult them whenever they walked on the court. Not even their homecourt crowd treated them any kinder. With all the demoralising chants, it was honestly a surprise they managed to scrape through with a close victory against the Sixers who certainly wasn't happy about that.

However, their next opponent was the Toronto Raptors. The online poll showed a staggering 98.9% said that the Raptors would have this series 4-0, hands down. Part of it due to the hate but part of it was because Murasakibara and Himuro had shown no sign of slowing down.

The first game was to take place in Toronto.

While Himuro had never been a particularly boisterous man, he was being quiet even for his standard. However, his teammates knew full well what prompted that.

"Tatsuya, don't lose your cool, okay?" Their coach warned.

"Wouldn't dream of it, coach. I'll teach him a lesson using my skill alone." The piercing, too-kind of a smile that was cracked was enough to send a shiver down everyone's spine. After they finished their briefing, Himuro and Murasakibara were the first to leave. 

"Speaking of, did Tatsuya get hitched?"

"Oh, yeah. That ring? I noticed that too. I never knew he had a girlfriend."

"Neither. He doesn't talk about his life a lot. I wonder if Atsushi has a girl we don't know about as well."

"Let's ask him later. I don't think they'll react kindly to us prodding before this match." They exchanged nervous chuckles before they followed the dynamic duo into the blinding light of the court.

The plan was simple. Attack.

After Kagami's departure, there was a gaping hole in their defense that everyone exploited. While they tried hard to patch it, it was flimsy at best. For someone whose basketball IQ was high, he could see right through the cracks. And right now, Himuro's focus was sky high.

Kagami was his brother. Even after a few years of drifting apart, their bond wasn't something that could be severed. It was only natural that he'd want to exact revenge. Once wasn't enough. This time, he'd make sure the Heat would truly reap everything they sow.

That day, he might come to the court with his usual smile, but everyone could sense how ominous it was.

"Hey," Himuro regarded the moment he walked past Harvey. "Just so you know, I'm not as nice as Daiki." From the corner of his eyes, he saw Harvey flinching. _Good_.

Starting from the tip-off, Murasakibara sent the advantage right to the Raptors. With the ball now in their possession, they moved out strategically.

Himuro didn't waste time shit-talking. Instead, he let his actions do everything for him. Starting with relentless attack right from the very beginning, they set the pace. Himuro wasn't the biggest, nor was he the fastest. Instead of letting emotions get the better of him, he acted as the floor general.

 _Kelvin, guard number 6. Atsushi, in the paint. Tariq, set a screen. Jad, get ready to cut._ He did this all with his hand gesture that everyone already memorised. In a split second, Jad drew the attention of the Heat by cutting through the defenders and creating a hole in the wall. Himuro took that chance to lob the ball at Murasakibara who easily caught it and slammed it in the ring.

"We'll crush you." The tall male simply said before he lazily walked towards the other side of the court.

The outcome of the match was pretty much dictated by how the first five minutes went. Jack had to call an immediate timeout after the Raptors scored the first twelve consecutive points. However, nothing helped.

Himuro was too intelligent. Among the Japanese rookies, he was the only one who could confidently and efficiently position the men. For him, this was a game of chess more than it was basketball.

In the end, Raptors snagged an overwhelming 35 points victory over the heat. Everyone immediately assumed that from that point on, the series was as good as done.

And they were right. In the following three games after that, their victory gap was even bigger than game one. The number one seed of the Eastern conference easily dealt with the defenseless Miami Heat. Not only were their weaknesses continuously exploited, they were far too demoralised to stand back up. Five minutes before the end of game four, the Heat's bench was practically empty. The crowd hollered insults at the losers and Himuro only smirked.

As everyone expected, it wasn't a series. Toronto Raptors swept the Heat clean in a 4-0 victory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I write this as Miami Heat got shat on by the Lakers in the finals lmao
> 
> Honestly, I don't remember Himuro's playstyle but he looks like such a schemer to me, so let me crown him as the Rajon Rondo of his team
> 
> You might have noticed that I added a chapter count on the fic. I've planned it out to the end and if it goes according to plan, it'll finish at 45 chapters! Just a little bit more to go ;)
> 
> BTWWWW do you guys want me to describe some full length matches instead of skimming through it or is this ok?? I'll definitely write out Aomine vs Kagami tho!!


	34. The Promise We Made

At this point, everyone could say that going to the bar after big playoff games was a ritual. Currently, the Miracles were sitting in the VVIP room around an expensive mahogany coffee table littered with alcohol that looked too expensive for the average Joe, but only a splash in their combined wealth.

Kise was the first to lift his glasses. "And here's to Akashicchi for winning the NBA finals! Also for me winning next year~!" The blond winked which was met with a round of boo's that Kise pouted at. "Fine, fine. To Akashicchi!"

"Cheers!" Everyone clinked their glasses and took a sip of their respective drinks.

"A shame that we didn't get to play against each other again this year, Aominecchi. I've been looking forward to it too, especially with Kurokocchi on the team." The blond sighed dramatically.

"Yeah, if only my team wants to win. I swear, sometimes they're sleeping on the court."

"Seeing it from afar is one thing, but to hear it firsthand is a whole another thing." Kuroko said. "The Timberwolves is not the team for you, Aomine-kun. I can see how they become too satisfied with themselves and not wanting to give more than they think they are capable of."

"Fucking tell me about it. They're all so good, but for whatever reason, they like to suck their thumbs. At this rate, I'll get wrinkly and old but we ain't winning a championship." He crossed his arms and leaned into Kagmi's shoulder. The redhead only laughed as he put a hand on Aomine's opposite shoulder. "And you lucky duck, getting picked up by the Lakers. Signed the contract already?"

"Three years. I can't wait to finally play again."

"I take it you'll be staying at your place in Santa Monica, Kagami?" Akashi interrupted the two lovebirds.

The other redhead nodded. "Yeah, that means I get to surf in my free time."

"Speaking of surfing," Aomine made himself comfortable in his boyfriend's chest. "You still gotta take me to Santa Monica. Remember, you promised me."

It took Kagami a few seconds to catch on. When he did, warmth crept into his cheeks. Yes, indeed, he made that promise during their first year but honestly, he was surprised Aomine remembered. No, scratch that. He was ashamed that he forgot. "You bet. Let's go shop for some surfboards and we'll hit the water tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? Sounds good. Can't wait to beat your ass."

Kagami rolled his eyes. "Dream on. Surfing is the one thing you'll never beat me at."

"You'll eat your damn word."

"Will I, though?"

"Uh-huh." Aomine then leaned into his boyfriend and captured his lips. Kagami wasn't any better either when it came to PDA. Instead of considering his surroundings, he reciprocated just as passionately. Their tongues wrestled as they busied themselves with sucking each other's face off.

Midorima looked absolutely horrified at the shameless display while Kise and Kuroko took many pictures. This was nine years in the making, after all. They just had to deal with Aomine and Kagami not being able to keep their hands off each other anywhere and everywhere.

"While the lovebirds are busy..." Placing his wine glass on the table, Himuro eased Murasakibara off him. The dark-haired male then stood up albeit slowly, then cleared his throat. "I'd like to take the time to announce that Atsushi and I are engaged." He showed his hand where a beautiful ring sparkled on his ring finger.

"Whaaat!" Kise jumped up, spilling alcohol everywhere, resulting in a chop to the side courtesy of Kuroko.

"Congratulations, Murasakibara-kun, Himuro-kun. I must say that I already expected this to happen sometime this year."

"Wait, where's your ring, Murasakibaracchi?" 

The tall male unbuttoned the top of his black shirt to reveal a matching ring attached to an equally expensive chain.

Sitting back down, Himuro explained. "We didn't want to attract too much attention. It's bad enough that everyone already grilled me a few days ago. Imagine if they found out we're together."

"Pain in the ass..." Murasakibara leaned back into his fiance and shoved a handful of crushed chips into his mouth.

"I'm soooo proud of you, Tatsuya!" Came a familiar voice from the doorway that made Kise stand up.

"Alex!" The two blonds met halfway. Without missing a beat, the woman landed a kiss right on Kise's lips, but he wasn't fazed. Instead, he returned the greeting with a crushing hug. Honestly, it didn't surprise anyone that these two shameless divas got along so well.

"Hey, Ryouta. Got a girl yet?" She ruffled Kise's hair as if he was a child. "Oh, where's Satsuki? I thought she'd be here already." Alex poured herself a glass of wine.

"Ah, actually," Kuroko smiled fondly. "Satsuki will permanently relocate here starting from next year, so she will not be here this year."

"Oh, that's wonderful news." Akashi's eyes widened ever so slightly at the bombshell. He was about to ask Aomine if he knew anything about it, but it looked like the man was still busy sucking face with Kagami. They were practically all over the couch now, grinding against each other.

"Ahaha, damn boys these days." In response to the PDA, Alex only laughed boisterously. Her signature voice must've been heard by Kagami because promptly after, the redhead shoved Aomine away and wipe his swollen lips. "Don't stop on my account, Taiga."

"G-geez, Alex... what are you doing here?"

"Tatsuya invited me. He's taking me as his date to the awards ceremony later this month." She grinned playfully and it was replied with a scowl by Murasakibara who immediately hugged Himuro possessively. "Aw, come on. I'm not gonna steal your fiance."

"F-fiance!?" Kagami and Aomine snapped their heads in surprise.

"You aren't even listening. Just go home, you two." Kuroko deadpanned.

"Look, look. I'm gonna take a wild guess." She cleared her throat before pointing at Aomine. "Rookie of the Year." Then, at Murasakibara. "Defensive Player of the Year." Then, at Akashi. "MVP. Seriously, though. You were impressive."

"Thank you. It took a while to get everyone to listen to a mere rookie such as myself, but once we got that over with, we played quite well together." Coming into NBA, Akashi knew that it wouldn't be smooth sailing. Everyone here had their own egos, making it hard to unite them all, especially when he had nothing in his resume. After his stellar performance that helped elevate the team to playoff standard, though, the coach was quick to trust him.

"Okay!" Alex clapped her hands once loudly. "Since Satsuki sweetie isn't here, Ryo will be in charge of everyone's costumes. Everyone but Taiga and Daiki is dismissed!"

"Why us!?"

"Because we all know you two can't dress up to save your lives, so just leave it to me. We'll spend the whole day before the ceremony going to the hairdresser, get you all clean and presentable. We'll get new belts, shoes, and suits. Have you _seen_ yourselves!?" Kise gestured at their entire beings. "Seeing you walk into the stadium makes me want to cry! Your suits are falling apart and I bet you don't have a single pair of dress shoes."

"The humanity." Aomine muttered sarcastically.

"We're athletes, not fashion models. Who cares?"

"Kagamicchi, I am _appalled_!" Kise gasped dramatically. "After what you pulled in the press conference, all eyes will be on you. It's illegal to walk in there covered in a tattered second-hand suit. I want to make you two so good looking, it'll physically hurt everyone, especially your douche ex-teammates."

"I'm already hot, though. My mess is a part of my charm."

"Absolutely unacceptable. Momocchi would never stand for that and neither will I."

Seeing that there was no way they'd be able to slink out of this, the two let out a huge exhale. To this day, they still weren't sure why they had to dress up even if their jobs only asked them to perform well on the court. Instead of thinking about it, he ended up enjoying more drinks with good company. All the while, his hand refused to let go of Kagami's.

.

Kagami's surfboard was damn cool. Its sleek surface was polished red with some wear and tear of paint on the edge. There were two black lightning bolts painted diagonally and the bottom edge that transitioned into aqua blue. Just a few minutes ago, they went into the nearest surfboard store to pick out one that would suit a novice like Aomine with an equally cool colour. Dark blue with navy trimming along with a white outline of a shark baring its teeth slap-bang in the middle.

"That's pretty clean, isn't it?" Pleased with his purchase, Aomine grinned.

"It's nice. Just don't break it." He pulled his boyfriend towards the sand where many bodies were already scattered. "Oi!" A slap on the back of the head was in order the moment he saw Aomine began to oggle the women in skimpy bikini.

"Sorry, habit." He snorted but ended up following Kagami anyway after one more appreciative side glance. "Aw, is little Taiga jealous?"

Kagami stammered, cheeks turning red before he yanked his hand away. "Fine, whatever! Do what you want!"

"Wait, don't be angry! I was just joking. Hey, Taiga, come oooon, I'll give you a kiss!" With a laugh, Aomine trailed after Kagami. Naturally, people recognised that dreamy voice with heavy Japanese accent, so they immediately turned to him.

Aomine and Kagami were already used to the attention, though. Instead of feeling uncomfortable, they chose to ignore it. In fact, they didn't even realise they were being stared at. The two ran towards the ocean, relishing in the feeling of having the cold water splashing all around them. Both of them placed their surfboards down simultaneously before lying down on it and started paddling towards the deeper water.

"Do you still remember how to surf?"

"Of course," Aomine pushed himself up, then put down the goggles on his forehead so it sat nicely in front of his eyes. "Who do you take me fo—waahahrgh!"

_SPLASH._

"Bwahahahhaha!" Kagami practically cried himself laughing when he saw how ungracefully Aomine flopped into the sea. The only thing he could see was the surfboard floating innocently before a pair of angry dark arms grabbed a hold of it and a very embarrassed blunette emerged from the depth. "Sure, you totally remembered."

"Shut up, it'll just take me a few tries, okay? Unlike someone, I haven't been practising." With one swift movement, he was back on the surfboard re-balancing himself.

Kagami lied there with a fond smile as his boyfriend tried again and again to stand on the wobbly surfboard using every single muscle on his body. The way they rolled under his skin made Kagami's heart beat faster. Aomine was definitely way more built than he ever was. His biceps were now extremely distinct and his six packs visible even through the wetsuit.

"Relax a bit, would you?" He teased before paddling some more the moment he saw a wave coming. "Get out of the way if you can't or you'll get swept away."

Aomine only scowled as he watched Kagami confidently getting to his feet when he was close enough. How that guy managed to do it so seamlessly, he would never know. Definitely a lot of training, though.

The horizon broke when the curl of water drew closer and he could see a small figure sailing through it with such fearlessness. Kagami, with his eye-catching flaming red hair, split the current into two as he was enveloped. For a moment, he disappeared but he quickly exited the curl with a quick manoeuvre. Seeing such trained yet free movement, Aomine couldn't help but part his lips in awe. He'd seen people surfing but he never really thought much about it, but now he watched closely, he could tell that this wasn't anything that could be replicated within a day.

Not like he'd ever admit it, though. Kagami might be his boyfriend now, but like hell Aomine wanted to lose from him at anything, ever. When Kagami casually floated back towards him, Aomine only rolled his eyes in a pretend-disinterest.

"Come on!" The redhead crouched on his surfboard, somehow managing to keep his balance through all that. "We'll re-learn it again, okay? Patience, Daiki. You did it last time, so you'll do it again now."

"You don't have to tell me that. I know. I'm hella talented at everything."

Kagami who was busy helping Aomine up immediately dropped him.

"Dude, what the hell!?" Aomine yelled when he broke through the water with a cough.

"You're helpless here by yourself, so either stop being a douchebag or play nice."

"Can I take option C?"

The mischievous grin was probably telling enough, but Kagami had always been known as an idiot. So instead of ignoring the remark, he asked: "What?"

"Option C is..." Aomine rubbed his hands together before he crouched on his surfboard with a surprising amount balance and leapt towards Kagami, sending them both tumbling straight into the water.

Suddenly, they overhead sound of seagulls and distant cries of other beachgoers disappeared. The two were enveloped in seawater that muffled all noise. They stared at each other through their goggles.

Aomine slowly mouthed: "Ba...Ka...Ga...Mi." Bubbles formed for each word that he formed.

It took Kagami a few seconds to understand the lips movement but when he did, he pinched Aomine's cheeks. Seeing the grin on the other's face melted his scowl into a smile that led him to close the distance between them. Saltiness intruded their tastebuds as they wrapped their tongues together. Kagami's fingers on Aomine's cheeks relaxed so he cupped them instead. All the while, the blunette curled his arms around Kagami's neck to bind their lips even more.

When they were out of breath, they broke free and popped their heads through the surface with a loud "Pwaah!"

Kagami brushed his long bangs off his face to reveal his forehead that Aomine soon kissed.

"You're so sappy." The redhead giggled but did nothing to stop his boyfriend. "Come on, let's surf for real this time. Stay away from the big waves."

"'Kay, 'kay..." Putting their chests against their surfboards, they began paddling.

Everything was so mundane and beautifully perfect, Kagami thought he was living a lucid dream. Aomine was right next to him, smiling so brightly without any wrinkles on his brows. He was so affectionate, so kind beyond his teasing and everything about him made Kagami heart so aflutter.

The entire time, he refused to look away. Kagami made sure he was always behind or next to Aomine so he could relish in the sight of such a childlike man as if once he closed his eyes, Aomine would disappear.

"Ow!" The blunette yanked his hand away when his boyfriend squeezed it too hard. "What's up with you, Bakagami?"

"Huh? My bad." He laughed nervously in response before grabbing the hand once again and squeezing it apologetically. "Just didn't want you to get lost."

"I'm a grown ass man, not a six years old. Geez." Despite what he said, he intertwined their fingers. They got up from their beach mat where they had been resting for the past five minutes.

They continued walking while making small talks until they reached the nearest shaved ice shop where tons of people immediately surrounded them.

"Can I get your sign?" A hundred voices chimed in, followed with many hands crowding into their space. Various merchandise like hats. jerseys and water bottles were waved by the fans.

"Coming through!" A playful voice they knew very well cut through the crowd, followed by a figure happily skipping towards the same shop. Everyone immediately zeroed in on the intruder who they recognised as Kise Ryouta and began mobbing him instead. The blond winked at Kagami and Aomine before making a 'shoo' gesture before he turned towards the fans and winked at them. "I'm in the mood for some selfies~ who wants one?"

Closely behind Kise, they saw Himuro who was doing the exact same thing while Murasakibara was yawning behind him. The two charmboats were out to play to direct all the attention. That gave Aomine and Kagami an opening to run off towards the secluded corner behind some rocks. On the way there, they saw Akashi and Midorima being surrounded by people too. It was then that they realised why exactly the Miracles were there.

"Man, remind me to smooch them later." Aomine grinned as he sat cross-legged on the sand.

"You two sure have it hard." Kuroko appeared from behind them, making them jump. On his hands were two huge bowls of shaved ice that he gave to his friends. "I knew this was going to happen, so I decided to send in the cavalry."

"So it was your idea? You're the best, Tetsu!"

"Just thought you'll need it. Consider it a get-together present for me." Said the man clad only in boardshorts. "Well, I should go back now to make sure Alex-san hasn't kissed everyone on the beach."

"Good idea." Kagami laughed at the joke. "Thanks, Kuroko."

"Damn, this is so good." Aomine hummed in contentment when the refreshing, syrupy shaved ice touched his tongue. "Lemme try yours."

"No way! You've got yours!"

"Just one spoon!" Aomine jabbed his plastic spoon towards Kagami's bowl but got his hand slapped away instead. "Stingygami."

"Stop complaining and eat your damn share. Leave mine alone."

With a pout, Aomine did just that. The cola syrup was sweet and indulgent, he found himself getting distracted. That was, until his phone cried out some Metallica tune that made him jump. With a curse, he grabbed it only to click his tongue.

"Who's that?"

"Suz. My agent." He grumbled. "Been chasing me down about some endorsement deal. What was it again... I think Nike. Or was it Adidas?"

"Someone's popular. You're not taking it?" While Aomine looked away, Kagami took a spoonful of his ice and innocently popped it in his mouth.

"Too much trouble. I don't need the money." He put the device back in the pocket of his boardshorts. The wetsuit had been shed for now. Then, Aomine went for another bite of his ice, blissfully unaware that Kagami stole some.

"How much are they offering?"

"I think 5 mil? Or something like that. I dunno. Not really interested." He leaned back against the rock while Kagami scooted closer towards him. Their nude shoulders now pressing against each other. "And I've got some interview requests, magazine photoshoots... Seriously... just leave me the hell alone."

"Yeah, same. I don't like it when they make such a big deal either."

"Though what if they say they're making a shoe line for you?"

"Now, I'll take that. I'll be the next Jordan." Aomine grinned. "Can you imagine that? The Aomine line. Nah, something cooler... like Panther. Or Spark. Well, that'll come the more I prove myself." He shrugged while shoveling the rest of his food, noticing the silence that fell. When he turned around, he saw Kagami staring into the ocean in front of them. It was quiet, far away from the rest of the crowd. While they could hear the distant voices, the sound of wave was more prominent from there.

Despite the serenity, Kagami's red eyes were filled with something foreign to Aomine. His brows were furrowed a little as he idly chewed his bottom lip.

"Hey, Aomine," Kagami sighed. "You're... uhm..."

The bluehead squeezed Kagami's hand. Whatever it was that plagued Kagami, Aomine knew that it couldn't be good. It was his tentative tone, that pensive expression and deflated shoulders. All of it reminded Aomine that they were not kids anymore, no matter how much they wanted to act like one (because bickering, picking on each other and arguing—that's what they do best, and that's how they know they're _okay_ ). No amount of frolicking would ever change the fact that they were adults who had to carry their own baggage, and Kagami? He had been through hell.

Aomine knew exactly how difficult it was to relinquish any semblance of negativity once you fell victim to it. He learned that as a human, letting go was one of the hardest things to do, no matter how toxic the one thing you have to spurn was. A sense of attachment was a force too strong for the majority to handle. Be it attachment to something in the present, something that no longer was, something that _shouldn't_ be held on to.

"You're not gonna leave me... are you?"

Insecurities filled that simple question to the brim like a glass of water. Kagami's voice was so soft, so vulnerable, a far cry from his usual brightness and it was enough for Aomine to not say anything stupid in response. He knew exactly what was going on in Kagami's head. Not wanting to take that step forward because of the anxiety, the worry that he wasn't good enough, the—

Kagami's grip on his hand tightened. It was so strong, it made him flinch.

—The fear of being left behind.

Instead of responding right away, Aomine dropped his plastic bowl and put a hand on Kagami's cheek. For a moment, their eyes met. While Aomine's were firm, Kagami's was jittery.

"Never." He said without a hint of hesitation. "I won't leave you. Ever. As long as you still want me."

"If... If Mai-chan comes here and offers you one night with her, would you—"

"Mai-chan gets my dick hard but that's about it. You know that feeling too, right? After you've just jacked off to someone, that person looks like a hairy gorilla to you. Anyway, back to the—"

"S-so I look like a hairy gorilla too!?"

"—I didn't say that, idiot! Besides, what makes you think I jerk off to you!?" Well, he _did_. But Kagami didn't have to know that. "Anyway, point is, I won't leave you, Bakagami. So you better not leave me too. And I, uh..." He muttered, voice now soft. "You know, I'm no good with words. I might say stupid things that hurt you, but no matter what I say, I don't mean it... probably."

"Probably?" Kagami threw his head back and laughed. There was no denying the relief after what Aomine said, though. He was so fuzzy with emotion that he didn't realise the blunette leaning close to capture his lips. "Mmpf!" He gasped in surprise, giving his boyfriend a gap to snake his tongue through.

Aomine pinned him against the rock, one hand now placed on his cheek. Their tongues explored each other's mouths and under Aomine's ministration, Kagami melted.

All of a sudden, Aomine pulled back, shocked. "Did you eat _my_ ice?" He glared accusingly. "I can't believe you!"

"Uh—"

"Bastard! Gimme back my ice!" With mischievous laughter, he all but pounced on his boyfriend. Their lips once again locked and the kiss grew more passionate. Their hands now wandered to each other's bodies, eagerly rubbing the nude skin. Kagami ghosted his fingers over Aomine's spine, giving him goosebumps. In response to the teasing, Aomine pressed their bodies closer to each other so there was not even one millimetre between them.

With his hands running up and down Kagami's waist, Aomine tugged on Kagami's lower lip and assaulted the redhead's mouth. Both of them moaned appreciatively at the heated exchange, then they reflexively ground their hips together.

"Shit, I love you..." Aomine gasped as their clothed erections rubbed against each other.

"Me too..." Kagami gasped out in pleasure when the bluehead pulled their broadshorts down so their hot erections met. "Shit. Daiki... W-we shouldn't..."

"It's okay, no one knows we're here." He whispered low right into Kagami's ear, not forgetting to lick the shell. The whimper that slipped out of the other's mouth made Aomine throb in want.

Kagami didn't need much convincing. He was quick to use his long fingers to grip the two cocks and started moving his hips in tandem with Aomine. Their pants became louder the more friction they felt, and if it wasn't for Aomine's mouth on his, they would've moaned loud enough for anyone nearby to hear.

The redhead swirled his thumb over his slit and then Aomine's, practically mixing their sticky precum together. With Aomine's body heat and smell enveloping him, he felt like he was in cloud nine. More than good, this was _perfect_. Their bodies sliding against each other, their voices melting together and their breathing becoming one. Kagami had never experienced this degree of euphoria before. All those years ago he spent fucking like rabbits with Aomine couldn't even compare. The them right now were different from their past selves yet still the same in the way they completed each other.

"Love you..." He moaned into his boyfriend's mouth. "...so much, Daiki..."

"Mm." He muttered, bobbing his head slightly and parting so he could catch Kagami's Adam's apple and gave it a nibble.

"Thank you," He groaned when Aomine started tugging on their dicks. "Thanks for waiting... thanks for not giving up on me..."

"Idiot," He let out a chuckle that overlapped with a choked sob. "I can't even if I wanted to... Even if you want me out of your life... I won't ever stop loving you," He breathed out in Kagami's neck. "You have all of me, stupid. So stop talking like I'm gonna leave you..."

Inbetween his moans of pleasure, Kagami smiled. A sob threatened to escape, but he somehow held it down. "I love you so much, Daiki..."

"Me too." He kissed Kagami's forehead. "So much."

Their breaths hitched and together, they picked up the pace. Lips now once more desperately latching onto each other's, they moved together in harmony until they exploded. Then, they held each other for a few moments.

.

While Kagami's place wasn't too far away by foot, Aomine and Kagami decided to stay in a hotel anyway. It was a luxurious five stars establishment that honestly, wasn't even expensive for them. The staff immediately recognised the two and allowed them to skip the line, give them the room with the best views and even a complimentary room service that they definitely appreciated because there was nothing better than to have some alcohol and snacks delivered while they lazily made out on the fluffy king-sized bed.

The sun was already going down when Kagami finally stepped off the bed. His clothes were long gone and he stood in his muscular, naked glory only covered in a tight boxer as he parted the long, thick gold-coloured curtain with vines pattern embroidered onto it. From that level, they could see almost the entire beach glistening in beautiful orange hue just like wildfire during a summer afternoon. The people scattering out of the ocean were nothing but tiny specks that could hardly be seen.

The redhead put on the bathrobe but not bothering to tie the front as he opened the balcony door and leaned forward, elbows resting on the polished wooden railing. Just as he took a deep breath, a pair of arms curled around him and a strong chest pressed into his back.

Kagami tilted his head to the side slightly to give Aomine room to pepper his neck with kisses. The blunette then lifted his phone up to show Kagami a square picture he took just seconds ago. It was of his back parting the balcony's double sliding door. There was orange halo spilling from the beach, highlighting the edges of his body.

"Pretty good photo, huh?" He smiled before pressing 'post'.

"Sap." Kagami only rolled his eyes but failed to suppress the giddiness he felt. Instead, Kagami turned towards Aomine and locked their lips together.

The taller made a hum of contentment as he basked in the smell of Kagami. Putting the phone on the table next to them, he placed one hand on the back of Kagami's head and the other to cup his muscular ass. It had only been a couple of hours since they got off, but Aomine was already excited again.

Their moment was cut short when Kagami's phone vibrated on the nightstand. It was clear that the two didn't want to break apart, but Kagami decided that it might be worth taking a peek at the caller. While walked inside, Aomine leaned his back against the railing and threw his head back to look at the sunset upside down. The day was so beautifully mundane and he loved every second of it.

"Yeah." Kagami nodded. There was something stiff about his body language even if he was facing away from Aomine. "Okay. Fine." Then he put the phone away from his ear and hung up.

"Taiga?" The blunette widened his eyes slightly in curiosity when the redhead took off his bathrobe and picked up his normal clothes instead.

"I'll be back in ten."

"Who was it?" He prodded a little more while his boyfriend got dressed. This time, he walked back inside.

"No one. Just be a good boy and sit tight, yeah?" The redhead smiled before he left the room.

.

In all honesty, Kagami was surprised that it took that guy this long to finally get in touch again.

He had his hands in his pocket as he rode down the elevator. No one else was there and even when the doors opened, not many people aside from the staff members were present.

He walked through the paved area near the beach while pulling his hood up. By that time, the sun was already gone and all the streetlights were on. The man he was looking for was just around the corner near the carpark. He wore a red shirt, simple pants, sunglasses and a hat that obscured his identity, but Kagami knew exactly who it was. 

"Harvey."

The bald African-American male who now fashioned a beard took off his hat and clipped his sunglasses on his collar. "Tai." He took a chug of the bottle of beer in his hand.

When his ex took a step forward, Kagami took one backwards. "Just tell me what you want and be done with it."

"Calm down, dude. I'm just here to apologise, a'ight? No need to get so defensive." And to his credit, he managed to not sound cocky.

The redhead scoffed as a rebuttal. "Surely you weren't expecting me to say yes and we be buddy-buddy again. Do I have to remind you of what you did to me?"

"Fuck, I know and I feel _awful._ Trust me. Thanks to your speech a few weeks ago, I now realised what an ass I was... so here I am."

Kagami stared into Harvey's eyes for a few seconds. His red orbs were narrowed as he tried to gauge the sincerity behind the statement. The sincerity that certainly wasn't there. With a sigh, he scratched the back of his head. "Can't believe I left my room for this bullshit." That visibly made the other flinch. "I'm not the same stupid kid you fooled, Harvey. If you think you can reel me in the second time with your sweet nothings, you're so wrong."

Harvey gritted his teeth before he took a step forward and clenched a hand around Kagami's hoodie. However, the redhead didn't even blink. Instead, he stared at his abusive ex without a hint of fear. "C'mon, Tai... deep down you don't believe what you're saying. I—" He loosened his fingers. "I've always loved you. I know I wasn't the best boyfriend ever but truth is, I was just scared. You were the first guy I've ever been with, so—"

"Cut it out, Harvey. This is pathetic." Interrupted Kagami with his voice bleeding with ice. "You were the one who treated me like shit, convinced me that I'm not worth anything, always telling me that I should suck it up because there's no way I'm gonna get someone better than you. Well, guess what?" He scoffed. "Daiki's a million times better than you. In fact, almost _anyone_ is. My world doesn't revolve around you, so get off your high horse. I owe you nothing. No matter what sob story you're here to tell, I'm having none of it."

"Taiga, c'mon..." He tugged on his ex's arm with a pitiful look on his eyes.

Kagami flinched. That was the look. The look that Harvey always gave him after every time he hurt him. And for some reason, he always fell for such a stupid lie. "Don't touch me!" He swiped his arm away. "I'm not gonna fall for it again. I've had enough of being stepped all over. I bet you're only here to ask me to take back what I said about you to the world but I _won't_. You deserve what came for you."

For a moment, Harvey looked flabbergasted. His eyes were wide open at how much Kagami resisted him. The next second, he swung his empty beer bottle on his right hand, shattering it against Kagami's skull. The impact was enough to stun Kagami momentarily even through the thin padding of the hoodie.

"You're fucking talking back to me!? Fags like you should just keep—"

One second Harvey was there, the next, he was lying on the ground.

" _You're_ the one who should keep their mouth shut." Said Kagami as he cracked his neck. Call it an adrenaline rush or whatever, but despite the throbbing pain, he didn't seem fazed in the slightest. "You really don't get it, Harvey. Provoke someone enough and they'll snap. I'm not as weak as you think I am." He spat on the man who was bleeding on the ground. No doubt his nose was broken and presumably some teeth too. "And nothing you say will make me forgive you."

"Ggh..." He groaned as he tried to get back up. However, Kagami was quick to put a foot on his chest.

"I was an idiot to trust you for even a second." He scoffed pitifully at himself.

"Taiga!" A familiar voice came from around the corner. Aomine dashed towards him and his eyes widened in fury when he saw the man lying on the ground underneath Kagami with shattered glass scattered on the pavement. "Taiga, are you okay?"

"Yeah." He kicked Harvey once more for good measure. "I'm fine."

"Listen here—"

"Daiki." He grabbed the blunette before he had a chance to lunge at Harvey and potentially kill him in a blind fit of rage. This time, he lowered his hoodie that had been marred with some small shards of glass. "It's not worth it. Let's go."

"But—"

"Let's go. I'm done here."

There was something so firm in Kagami's voice that made Aomine see through his fury. With a sigh, he followed his boyfriend quietly back into the hotel. "He fucking hit you with a bottle."

"Yeah. I'm fine, though."

"No. Get it checked."

"Dai—" He then saw Aomine's expression. "Fine..."

"That was dangerous, Taiga. What if he pulled a crazier stunt than that? You shouldn't have gone alone."

"I didn't want you to worry..." Kagami muttered the moment they reached the reception where his boyfriend requested a quick first aid check. "Besides, I wanted to prove to myself that I can stand up to him. If you're there, there won't be any point."

"You and your stupid pride, seriously..." Despite the lecturing attempt, Aomine's hand squeezed Kagami's so tightly, it kind of hurt. While it was nice to see Kagami had recovered enough to snap out of it, he wished the guy would rely on him a little.

All well that ended well. Nothing happened to Kagami but the hotel did offer to clean the hoodie and get it delivered to their room tomorrow morning. The two men ended up retiring to their bedroom straight after that where they ordered a pile of food as room service. They gorged on some fancy burger with truffle and caviar or some crap like that, steak covered in gold sheets and expensive whiskey.

They ate so much, they didn't want to think about the bill. Whatever it was, they were pretty sure their combined $10m annual salary would be more than enough to cover their expenses.

Aomine let out a disgusting burp that would've been awarded with a hand on the back of his head had it not been for Kagami doing the exact same thing at the exact same time. Both of them ended up laughing at that.

"Mm..." The blunette picked his teeth using his nails. "Wanna get some McDonalds?"

Looking up at Aomine's bright expression, Kagami's heart thumped restlessly in his chest. No matter how many times he told himself that this perfect man really was his boyfriend, he still couldn't believe it. What did he do to deserve such an amazing lover?

"I can use some Big Macs and McFlurry." Kagami ended up saying with a grin just as big.

"Flakes?"

"Cookies and cream."

"You're entitled to your own wrong opinion. Let's go!"

The two left the room laughing. The promise from nine years ago had been fulfilled, but another one was silently exchanged.

The promise of forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> might or might not be listening to [Praying by Kesha](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78kjMk4Og08&ab_channel=LiquidSounds)


	35. When Blue and Red Clash

Sometimes, Kagami dreamt.

Most of the time, they were so surreal, he forgot all about them when he woke up. Other times, he wished he wouldn't dream at all.

_"Whatever, I was drunk. 'Sides, she was coming onto me so that wasn't my fault."_

That sentence echoed as clear as day. Instead of fighting back, Kagami only stood there with his eyes wide in disbelief. For a moment, he was at a loss of what to say. No matter how anyone looked at it, that was _wrong_. It was _his_ fault, not hers.

_"C'mon, babe, no need to get so worked up. You're the one I'm coming home to, so what does it matter?"_

Once. Once was okay.

However, he was naive to think that it wouldn't happen again.

_"I've just got lots of libido."_

And that wasn't an excuse. Kagami knew it, yet he let it slide. Over and over again, all because the asshole kept convincing him that all those flings meant nothing.

The gods sure were cruel to make him remember just how stupid he was to accept that treatment so early in their relationship. It was no surprise that everything only went downhill from there on.

Kagami didn't want to remember that asshole's face, his ex who was so insistent on haunting him long after they broke up. In his dream, he saw just how weak and foolish he was to accept that sad excuse of a relationship. Now that he had an outsider's perspective, he could say with confidence that it wasn't just a toxic relationship but an abusive one.

 _"You're sleeping with other guys?"_ He said. _"What the fuck? You're_ my _boyfriend. If you want sex, you come to me. What's that? I do it so you thought it's okay for you to do it? I didn't do shit! I keep telling you I've been either drunk or they pressured me into it. But it's different for you. Your body's just too damn slutty. Look at your ass. I bet you flaunt those to get those men to sleep with you."_

"...mi," A voice interrupted the darkness. "Kagami... Taiga!"

Just like that, the images shattered. Kagami snapped his eyes open only to realise that he was drenched in sweat. When he looked to the side, he saw Aomine looking at him with furrowed brows, concern spilling out of every crevice.

"You okay, babe?"

 _Babe_.

That was how _he_ used to call him. It was a sweet nickname Aomine recently picked up that Kagami was slowly getting used to. It was difficult to not associate it with his past, but he wanted to move on. For Aomine and for himself. He didn't want to get hung up over some stupid memory that he had to bury sooner or later.

"Yeah... just a bad dream." He groggily sat up while massaging his temples. "I'm fine. Promise."

"If you say so..." Even though Aomine said that, he looked extremely unconvinced by the way he only stared at his boyfriend for a few lingering seconds. Kagami couldn't help but try to look away. Before he could do that, however, Aomine put a finger on his chin and brought their faces together for a morning kiss.

"Yikes!" Kagami laughed as he pulled away from the curse known as the morning breath. "Stinkymine!"

"Aw, shut up. Like you're any better." The other grinned in response. He did steal another kiss, though. In response, Kagami pretended to gag.

So mundane.

The redhead had a smile on his lips as he watched Aomine, only covered in his underwear, crawling out of bed and stretching his long limbs, making muscles roll. The sight made Kagami hum appreciatively and that certainly didn't miss Aomine who cockily smirked, then proceeded to make a show of it.

"Dork." Kagami rolled his eyes before going for his phone just so he could not get horny first thing in the morning.

"You love me."

"Mmhm." He ruffled his own hair to wake himself up. With a yawn, he opened his phone to see what he missed since he watched movies with Aomine until unreasonable hour yesterday, so he didn't check his phone from around 8 PM onwards.

"First day." Aomine said after he took a shower in the ensuite. He smelt so damn nice, Kagami tore his eyes away from his phone. "Get up and get ready, Bakagami. Your new pals are waiting."

With a frown, Kagami put the gadget down.

"Nervous?"

"Kinda." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, they made it clear that they don't mind me... being gay, I mean. But still..."

"Can't help it, huh?" Aomine settled next to his boyfriend on the edge of the bed. "I'll take you there, okay? I've got time before my flight anyway."

Kagami who was still looking down then glanced up with eyes full of hope. It was the kicked puppy look that Aomine could never say no to. "You'd do that?"

"'Course I will, stupid." He smacked a quick kiss on Kagami's forehead just so he'd stop his heart from beating so loudly.

"Don't call me stupid!" Despite the objection, he laughed and wrestled Aomine back into the bed. With the slimmer yet heavier male underneath him, Kagami climbed on top and kissed him hungrily.

The door slammed open. "Morning boys! Ooooh..." Tobyn made a strangled noise as he gradually pulled it back. "I was just gonna say that breakfast is on the table and that I'm leaving now, but... my bad."

"Dad!" Kagami's face combusted into red even after the door was fully shut again,

 _"Don't forget protection!"_ The scream came from the foyer. Probably.

"Ugh... seriously." The redhead sighed in embarrassment as the two got off the bed. On his way to the ensuite, he saw a trophy next to the TV that he picked up. The wide black base read:

 _NBA Rookie of the Year  
_ _Daiki Aomine  
_ _Minnesota Timberwolves_

"You're not taking this back with you?" He then placed it down.

"Nah, keep it here." The blunette idly said as he typed away on his phone. Shortly after, he shot Kagami a grin. "Just so you can see every day how much better I am than you."

"I will bludgeon you to death with your own trophy, Ahomine."

"Love you too, babe." He snorted just as the bathroom door was slammed shut.

.

As promised, Aomine accompanied Kagami into the Lakers' practice area. It wasn't anything special. In fact, it looked pretty similar to the Wolves' training ground just with a different colour scheme. While Aomine was busy admiring the decor, Kagami was fidgeting. The only thing that stopped him from worrying himself stupid was Aomine's hand in his.

The sound of ball being bounced, the swishing of the hoop and sneakers squeaking against the wooden floor snapped Kagami out of his trance. He looked up to see his new teammates who were quick to notice him. Naturally, the coach was the first to welcome the new addition with a wide smile.

"I expected Taiga, but certainly not his prince charming. Came here to scout the rival?" Chris, the Lakers' coach patted both their shoulders. Anyone who wasn't a part of the team usually wasn't welcome, but Kagami gave him a head's up earlier, so he made an exception this once. "Don't worry, no one will pick on him. You have my word."

"They better not." Aomine stuffed his hands in his pocket and scowled. Then, he turned towards Kagami and spoke to him in Japanese. "You'll be okay, yeah?"

"Mm. Thanks. Have a safe trip, Daiki."

He punched the other's shoulder firm enough to make him take a step back. "Next time we meet will be on the court. Come at me with everything you've got."

"That goes without saying, right?" Kagami grinned cheerfully before they bumped their fists together. From that spot, Kagami watched his boyfriend's back disappearing around the corner. A couple of months. That was what separated them from a fulfilling game.

"You're not gonna take it easy on him just because he's your boyfriend, right?" Chris nudged the new addition.

When Kagami turned to face him, his eyes were fiery red and there was this aura around him that made the coach jolt. "If anything, it only motivates me to kick his ass even more. Don't worry, coach. You have my word that I'll show no mercy."

"Good... good! That's the spirit. Let's go introduce you to everyone."

From start to finish, everything was exactly how Kagami pictured it and more. His new teammates were kind and welcoming. While their chemistry was still developing, they could see Kagami's potential as a scorer who utilised his insane air time and surprisingly powerful dunks, considering that he wasn't as big as most players in the NBA. Everyone positively influenced each other while still being able to spit out some friendly trash talk. Granted, their star player McClain could be extremely strict and demanding. However, it was nothing that Kagami couldn't handle. In fact, he appreciated being pushed to his absolute limit.

He played like a man possessed that day. Not only was he allowed to speak up, but he was also allowed to actually run the offence. It had been so long since he last could soar so freely like that.

"Alright, team!" Chris gathered everyone after their three-pointer practice that Kagami kinda failed miserably at. "Keep it up. The preseason starts next month and we'll be flying to China to have some games. That'll be our chance to see how we measure up against the others and while it's a good time to experiment, don't let your guard down."

"Yessir." Almost everyone said.

"Now, Taiga. We're gonna need a favour from you."

"Me, coach?" The redhead blinked.

"Yes, you. You told me earlier you won't hold back, so I want you to tell me what Daiki's weaknesses are. Last year, we managed to contain him by not letting the team do iso, but the Wolves now has TK. I'm afraid that next year, they will work around each other even better and we'll have no answer." TK, being Kuroko's shortened moniker since it was too easy to confuse Tatsuya and Tetsuya.

"Defending him is a nightmare." One of the starters groaned.

"Uhm," Kagami rubbed the back of his head. "Actually, he hasn't shown us all his cards."

"Say what?" Chris narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying he's got another level?"

"Something like that..." He muttered nervously when everyone's eyes landed on him. "The more fun Daiki has, the better he plays. However, right now, he is way too frustrated by his team to really let loose. I'm not saying that they can't keep up with him... it's that they don't really want to. The Wolves are too laid back. But now that Tetsuya is here..." Kagami cringed inwardly. "I think we'll be in for a hard time."

"Can you explain what Daiki's like when he's going all out?"

"He bared his fangs during the finals against Toronto two years ago but that was only scratching the surface. What Daiki needs is someone who can read and play with him, not people who play around him. Unfortunately for us and fortunately for them, Tetsuya is the answer." Kagami furrowed his brows. "His only weakness is that he's easily frustrated, but..." He looked at Chris. "I'd like us to run isolation."

"Iso? Are you _mad_?" The coach pulled his head back. "Iso is Daiki's _home_."

"Yeah, but I can stop him. I've played against him a lot of times and have beat him quite a lot too. Please trust me on this, coach. You've seen me holding my ground against him."

"Yes... I know, but..." He sighed. "I'll think about it, okay? Alright, for the rest of you, get some more shots in before you go home, yeah?"

.

It wasn't uncommon to be squeezed among piles of bodies during a season match. Thankfully, Kise managed to snag a couple of front-row passes thanks to his agent that he used to bring his new girlfriend along. He promised to meet up with Murasakibara and Himuro who happened to be in the area after their match against the Clippers earlier.

"Ki-chan!" A feminine voice could be heard and upon closer inspection, he saw Satsuki waving vigorously at him with the Toronto Raptors players next to her. "You're here just in time. Come on! Ah, who's this?"

"My girlfriend, Eliza. WNBA." He gestured towards the beautiful, tall and tanned brunette wearing casual wear and light makeup.

"Ohh! _So_ nice to meet you!" Satsuki grabs her hands and began shaking it up and down with a bright grin. The pinkette was wearing a cute black and white striped blouse, short plaid skirt and a Wolves jersey with Aomine's number on it. "I don't watch a lot of WNBA, but I've heard your name. From... Mystics, right?"

"Yeah. Nice to meet you too. He's been hyping today up so much, he wouldn't stop talking about it."

"I can imagine. He's really noisy, isn't he?" Satsuki all but grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the stadium.

"Eeeh, Momocchi, don't take my girlfriend!" 

With a shrug, Himuro and Murasakibara trailed after the three. Soon enough, they settled on their seats where the shootaround was happening. He spotted Kagami warming up with a few lay-ups along with the rest of the team. On the other end was Aomine who was busy making a show of his freestyle throws, constantly making more and more ridiculous shots that somehow kept going in.

It came as a surprise to see Kagami as a starter. The tension between him and Aomine was immediate but it was clear that everyone was dying to see what he was capable of. For the past five games or so, he only played a few minutes here and there and while they had been nothing short of explosive, Chris had yet to put him as a starter. So to see him on the court so early on meant that he was there to stay for this game.

_"Purple looks stupid on you."_

_"Shut your trap. You're lucky you're not wearing your vomit green today."_

_"And that's the sound assist brought to you by StateFarm, from the boys wearing the number 10. What a great relationship. Now I do have to wonder why exactly Taiga chose that number. He mentioned something about it being_ his _number, not Daiki's. I still have no idea what he meant by that."_ The commentator laughed at the bickering that ensued as soon as they walked to their position. Himuro who had the stream displayed on his phone smiled fondly.

_"Now, it's not news that Daiki and Taiga are, indeed, boyfriends. Following the press conference last November. As such, this game has been long-awaited. Both players claimed that their relationship is built on competition, so the chance of them going easy on each other today is zero."_

The tip off began with the tallest players of each team and the game started.

For the first quarter, nothing special really happened. Both teams played their usual game and when the second quarter commenced, the Wolves were leading by 5, thanks to the combined efforts of Kuroko and Aomine. However, the moment Kuroko was benched, _it_ started.

The first time the ball landed into Aomine's hand, everyone else moved to the right side of the court.

"Oh," Kise blinked. "Iso? Aren't they just playing right into the Wolves' hands?"

"Kagamin has a lot to prove, you see. He's just being a little selfish." Satsuki giggled when she saw her boys sizing each other up.

Aomine lightly dribbled the ball with a smirk, then he slowly hunched his body forward. It was echoed by Kagami who immediately put his guard up. The hair on the back of the redhead's neck stood up when he saw the electric aura surrounding the Wolves player. Not quite the zone, but it was the same eyes he saw all those years ago. The blue that asked him to join this dance.

And oh boy, it was one dance that Kagami loved being a part of. He had been waiting for an encore for the longest time.

When Aomine dribbled the ball behind his back, Kagami knew that his wish was about to be granted. Pushing up against his highschool friend, he spread his arms wide to make sure Aomine couldn't do whatever he wanted to. His eyes followed the movements of the ball. Left, right, through the legs. Now!

Kagami lunged forward just when Aomine tried to take a step to the front-right. The sudden motion caused the blunette to reflexively taking one back to avoid being stripped. He tried doing the same thing but again, Kagami read through him.

The two stared at each other for two more seconds, then the dance resumed. The squeak of sneakers moving, twirling and cutting through the court was all everyone could hear. Left, right, back, feint. All of them were done in an unreadable, erratic sequence that got the commentators tongue-tied.

"You asshole..." Aomine let out a feral smirk before he tossed the ball towards the nearest teammate.

_"Oh-ho, with 8 more seconds in the shot clock, Daiki passed to Jay!"_

And the stalemate persisted for the rest of the quarter. Neither men could get through the other and even if one did, the other would block the shot attempt. Despite this, the power forwards did their one-on-one when the team allowed them to. Coming to the end of the first half, the score was pretty much tied.

"Damn, he's not letting you through, huh?" Hakim ruffled Aomine's hair once they settled in the locker room for a breather. Aiden was already there with his clipboard ready to review the gameplan.

"Alright, boys. We'll get them next quarter with... where's TK?"

"I'm over here."

"Waargh!" Everyone jumped simultaneously except for Aomine who only jolted.

"D-damn it... I'll never get used to you. We'll play you for five minutes this time, then the last five minutes. I trust you to make all the difference. Keep finding the open man, poke the ball loose, do your thing. It looks like they'll only run iso without you, so this is our chance to score buckets."

"Understood, coach." Kuroko nodded.

Aomine practically phased out during the review time. He tapped his foot restlessly against the ground, his eyes closed. There was a small smile on his face that he tried so hard to not let show but failed. Because how could he not be happy? Kagami was out there playing such a wonderful game. There was something so unrestrained about him, like he could finally run free after years of being caged. He could see it from the way the redhead's eyes glimmered and through the spring in his steps. He was explosive just like how he was meant to be.

And it wasn't only him who thought so. As he browsed through the Twitter feed, everyone was already going on and on about how different Kagami was.

@MarcyJanett  
Is it just me or @K_Taiga is jumping even higher?

@444Matt  
Looks like @K_Taiga will set a new career high of rebounds and blocks today. Impressive performance. Can't wait to see what else he can do. Looks like leaving that trash team was an excellent choice.

"Daiki," Aiden called out, making the blunette look up. "What else should we expect from him?"

In response, Aomine chuckled. Then, his grin grew wide. Wider than anyone had ever seen. " _Everything_." He declared proudly. "But I'm not gonna lose. This might sound selfish, but I want us to keep running iso when we can."

Kuroko smiled at the bold statement. "I can vouch for this. If you give them the chance, they'll show you a play you will remember for years to come. After all, they bring out the best in each other." He thought of the many times the two fell into the Zone, showing everyone hypnotising, converging blue and red. Right now, Kuroko was quite confident that the colours would once again emerge. However, this time it would clash. What kind of fire it'd produce, only time would tell.

There was something feral about Aomine that quietened everyone. It was no secret that he always played his best game with Kuroko, but they could tell what he shared with Kagami was... otherworldly. Aomine transcended his skills when they faced off against each other. The viewers might not have felt it, but the players and the bench did.

Panther and tiger, sizing each other up, glaring and threatening to tear each other apart. Every corner of their body said: "The court is _my_ territory."

The only reason why it wasn't obvious that the two were playing their best game was exactly that: because they both played their best game. With piercing offence and unpenetrable defence, it just looked like they were evenly matched instead of shining. Only those who understood basketball could tell the difference.

Soon enough, they wrapped up their discussion and went back towards the court. The players had recovered some strength by the time they went back to work.

Kuroko did his job. He poked the ball loose, deflected their passes and creating play opportunity for his much bigger teammates. To say that the commentators lapped it up was an understatement. After all, this frail, skinny male was such an anomaly in the professional world. He wasn't particularly gifted at anything, but the impact he had was always jaw-droppingly good. He wasn't a scorer, not a defender. Kuroko was a disruptor. He messed with the other team's tempo, resulting in a complete momentum shift that they might not be able to recover from for the rest of the game. Just from that alone, he was invaluable.

And boy, did he bring out the best in his team's PF. With Kuroko on the field, Aomine always moved with even more confidence.

Aomine leapt up in the air while his other teammates face-guarded the Lakers members. One second he didn't have the ball and the next, it was right in his palms ready to be jammed down into the ring. He did just that. The rim rattled under the intense force, sending the audience wild. Particularly the Wolves fans among the many Lakers.

"That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!" He punched the air before giving Kuroko a fistpump just like the old days. He ruffled the smaller male's hair as his other teammates came to them to slap their backs encouragingly.

Seeing the display of strength, Chris couldn't help but take a timeout.

"Okay, this won't do, boys. You're just letting them do whatever they want. I know it's easier said than done but keep a closer eye on TK. Double him if you can."

"We tried that, coach. He just... disappeared." Some of the men sighed exasperatedly. "Well, he's getting subbed out now and Taiga's well-rested. Let's bring him back in and we'll catch up."

"Tai, you ready?"

"Yessir!" With a loud, resolute yell, he slapped his knees. Fifteen minutes rest was more than enough.

His excitement was dampened when he saw Aomine being subbed out three-quarter into the second half. It made sense, he supposed. After all, he had practically no break in the first half. If there was anything more impressive than his circus shots, it was his stamina. If not kept in check, he'd play 48 minutes a game.

Kagami refused to let that sway him, though. Aomine or not, he promised to give it his all for this team.

So he phased everything out. All that mattered was him and the ring.

"Kagamicchi! Whoo!"

That annoying voice made him laugh a little. When he looked to the side, he saw Satsuki jumping up and down excitedly next to a very amused Himuro and a yawning Murasakibara. Of course, Kise was there too with his new girlfriend.

It motivated Kagami greatly, knowing that he had his friends backing him up. Hell, he could even see Aomine and Kuroko silently cheering for him from the bench. 

When the game started, he wasted no time to show everyone what he was capable of. If there was anything he was grateful for when he played for the Heat, it was that his defensive ability skyrocketed. So even though he was not the biggest PF by all means, he put on quite a show with his rebounds and occasional blocks.

However, unlike that time, his feet felt so much lighter. He ran and jumped like his life depended on it. Unconsciously, he filtered out all other noises. As a result, he was unaware of the cacophony from the audience who was entranced by his performance. Even as he towered above all the taller players and slammed the ball into the ring, he felt nothing but absolutely euphoria and heard nothing but his own beating heart.

Excitement rushed through him as he used every muscle on his legs to jump higher and higher still. When he landed after the however many impressive jumps, his teammates practically smothered him.

"That's fuckin' crazy!" They said as they practically carried Kagami towards the bench at the end of the third quarter. "Did you see yourself? You were like Michael fucking Jordan—you jumped from the free-throw line, you _monster_!"

"That good?" Kagami let out a sunny grin while his new teammates messed up his hair. When he looked up at the scoreboard, they were leading by 7 points. _Huh. When did that happen?_

Chris was the first to poke his legs, eyes narrowing in concern. Then, he frowned at Kagami. "Don't overdo it."

"Hah, this is _nothing_. I haven't jumped for _years_ , coach!" He laughed before going to hydrate himself.

Seeing the enthusiasm on the new recruit's face, his expression softened. He procured a clipboard and a marker, then jumped straight into it. "Alright, keep up the momentum, everyone. Especially _you_ , Taiga. I have no doubt that they'll play Daiki for the full quarter next and at the rate we're going right now, we'll be able to best him. Taiga, you do whatever you have to do to keep him in check. Everyone else, focus on rebounding. Get those fast break points and don't force shots. As for positioning..."

Kagami stole a glance at the Wolves' bench. As expected, Aomine was there staring back at him with a pair of hungry eyes that made him swallow his saliva.

"Owww!" The blunette ungracefully yelled out when Kuroko slammed a fist into his ribcage.

.

The fourth quarter was to be the deciding factor. So far, everything had been back and forth in terms of lead, so this would decide the outcome of the match.

Kagami and Aomine, unsurprisingly enough, were assigned to guard each other. Even just looking around the stadium, Satsuki could see the crowd's anticipation.

"Satsuki, dear!" Alex's voice could be heard behind her. The blond who donned a Lakers sweatshirt patted her pink hair gently. "Ah, I actually made it before the game is over. Whoo, Taiga's team's leading."

"Ah, Alex! We've been waiting for you." She smiled. "It's okay, I think the best is yet to come."

"Oho?"

"That," Kise wagged his finger. "I'm sure you're also waiting for _that_."

She blinked twice before a twinkle flitted in her eyes. Ah, yes. _That_. If she closed her eyes, she could remember it clearly. The way the panther and the tiger moved in tandem, so hypnotic and so breathtaking. If they could reach that level right here, then everyone was in for a treat, indeed.

.

It felt like all those years amalgamated to this.

Kagami, playing to his heart's content. His basketball was true to his fighting spirit—fiery red, unbridled and extremely explosive. Aomine, with his electric blue, unbound and hypnotic. Truly, no one else could make them feel this way. The exhilaration of being able to go all out against each other, the desire to keep outdoing themselves as to not fall behind, the euphoria of playing _with_ each other despite them being on the opposite team now.

Because who were they fooling? Whether it was the same team or different, nothing would ever change the fact that their basketball fit snugly like two pieces of puzzle. It might be fuelled with different colour, but it held the same instinct-driven nature since, at the end of the day, they were just two men who couldn't live without basketball.

Basketball was how they met, how they grew as an individual and how they got along. It was more than a job or a hobby. It was their entire world. To give up the sport up meant giving up on the other because as far as they were concerned, the word basketball was synonymous for their love.

And maybe the passion to always want to outdo the other, always wanting to prove that they were better than the other, the friction of their competitiveness—all of it was the key to unlock their 100%.

They didn't even know they had opened the gate until they realised they cared for little else but each other. They grinned and laughed like they were just teenagers again. The ball danced its war dance on their palms, constantly moving and never staying still.

While they didn't hog the ball, they fought when it landed in their hand. And when it did, no one could deny how enchanting the sight was. Just two-decade-old rivals trying to break past the other. With some help from their teams, they scored one after another.

Aomine with his otherworldly manoeuvres and unbelievable shots, Kagami with his insane vertical and powerful shot from the foul line dubbed the Meteor Jam.

To say the crowd loved it was an absolute understatement. Despite it being a Lakers home game, the cheers when Aomine scored was almost just as loud as when Kagami did. The coaches, too, stood with their jaws wide open as they watched the two men unleashing the potential they didn't think they had. There was no hesitation in their steps. It was clear that they knew each other's playstyle like the back of their hands.

It also didn't help to tone down the excitement, the fact that they could remain in the zone for far longer than before. Right now, their stamina was better, their muscles were stronger and their fundamentals were drilled in. For the whole quarter, they played like that.

Until the very end.

The score difference was only 1. It was currently the Wolves' possession. With only one basket, they'd win. With one block, the Lakers would win. The chant, "Defence! Defence! Defence!" Was louder than it ever was.

Aomine unleashed all of his streetball moves in an attempt to get past Kagami and one other blocker. He was double-teamed but that didn't deter him at all.

In a last burst of agility, he spun around so his back faced Kagami. Then, he slammed the ball underneath their legs right into his teammate's waiting hand who lobbed it at him for an alley-oop.

Having already anticipated this, Kagami jumped towards the ring and slapped the ball against the backboard. The object ricochet but Aomine's insane reflex allowed him to jab his arm towards it mid-flight. He landed with the ball, resetting the shot clock back to 14 and running to the three-point line where Kagami followed. Their teammates scattered around the court, desperately trying to break loose or guard. Some of them tried to move towards Aomine to give him a screen but the defensive powerhouse Lakers managed to box them out.

They trusted in Kagami's defensive ability. They knew the redhead was fully capable of defending Aomine all by himself. They also trusted in Kagami's offence. Once he got the ball, he'd make the basket.

The two aces were sweating, their legs were shaking ever so slightly but they pushed on. The finish line was in sight. This was do or die.

Aomine started to move but so did Kagami. When the blunette made a run for the ring for a layup, Kagami followed. However, it was a feint. In a terrifying deceleration, he stopped and jumped back for a fadeaway.

The crowd gasped at the last-second score that turned everything into the Wolves' favour.

The Lakers quickly lobbed the ball towards a player with only 5 seconds left to go. It didn't take long before it landed right into Kagami's hand and—

"Lakers, number 10, charging!"

Kagami's eyes snapped towards the floor where he saw Kuroko. The lithe male had a small smile as his teammates helped him up.

"Sorry, Kagami-kun," He didn't look apologetic at all. "I want to win too."

"Kuroko..." The redhead couldn't help but laugh at that. There were only 2 seconds left of the game and it was the Wolves' possession. While the Lakers looked surprised at Kuroko's presence, they couldn't exactly blame Kagami either. After all, no one even remembered he was _there_.

It was game.

All the Wolves had to do was wait for the shot clock to expire and it'd be their win by the skin of their teeth. However, upon receiving a pass from his teammate as a result of the charging foul, Kuroko pivoted with one foot and slammed the ball across the court right into Aomine's waiting hand.

A blur of red dashed past the shorter blunette who saw his friends chasing each other. This was their last dance of the day and possibly, the next few weeks. It was clear that they wanted to make the most of it, scores be damned.

Aomine let out a battle cry as he leapt into the air in order to jam the ball in with his right hand. However, Kagami was right beside him, jumping up at the same time with his left hand outstretched. The two roared loudly, making everyone absolutely speechless. There was no one on that half-court except for them. Their other teammates could only stare at the two aces soaring up.

Aomine threw his hand forward, but Kagami managed to put a hand on the side of the ball, slapping it away until it slipped out of Aomine's sweaty palm, hit the backboard and rolled down onto the glazed wooden floor.

The whistle blew. It was over.

And the crowd roared.

With their hands on their knees, both men panted loudly. Sweat dripped down their damp hair and slick chin as their fire slowly died down to a calming ember.

The first to move was Aomine. He looked at Kagami with the widest, happiest grin he could muster and he put him in a headlock that made Kagami laugh. The two shared a moment while the commentators went wild with the audience.

"That's a pretty good block, Bakagami!"

"Heh, after playing so much defence, that much is nothing, Ahomine." The redhead put a hand behind Aomine's head to bump their foreheads together. "God... it's been so long since I last had a crazy game like that."

"Tell me about it..." Aomine grinned as their team rushed towards them. "Hey, I'll see you tonight, 'kay?" He leaned into Kagami's ear. "Can't wait to fuck you senseless."

In response, Kagami let out a small wanting groan before it was drowned out by everyone cheering for them.

It was no surprise that for the days to come, the news, the internet and the magazine talked about them. Countless of articles were published about that crazy game that was definitely playoff-worthy. Many fan videos were uploaded going over just how crazy the two PFs were playing that last quarter and jersey sales for the two skyrocketed.

Despite all the attention,no one understood just how monumental that moment was for the players.

Because for twelve minutes, Aomine and Kagami finally felt like everything was right in the world. They were untouchable. It was a feeling like none other; one that they experienced six, seven years ago when they were just teenagers who didn't know any better.

For the first time since high school, they felt like they were on top of the world.


	36. Acclaimed Rivals

"...And then I told him, no, this colour is better! Then he gave me this absolutely adorable look. Like, complete with this—Dai-chan, are you listening?"

"Huh? Yeah, sure." Aomine replied with his pinky stuck in his ear while he idly flicked through the newest gravure magazine he bought. None of these European models tickled his fancy. As expected, Mai-chan would always be his one and only woman.

"Stop reading those things! What will Kagamin say?" Satsuki all but snatched the item away and threw it onto the coffee table.

"Cut me some slack. He knows and he doesn't care as long as I don't fool around with the real thing. Not like I'm interested anyway. Girls are too much trouble." He said his last sentence while looking at Satsuki who drew back, offended.

"Excuse me for being troublesome!" The exasperated pinkette grabbed a cushion and started smacking her childhood friend with it. "I was getting somewhere with my story. Just wait a bit, geez..."

"Fine, fine, holy shit, calm your tits! Just get to the point. You know I hate small talks." Snatching the cushion away from Satsuki's iron grip, Aomine grumbled. He put a foot up on the coffee table and gave her his full attention, but not without stroking the spoiled Maru on his lap. However, he wouldn't deny that having Satsuki close to him again was extremely refreshing. "So?"

"I'm..." As a nervous gesture, Satsuki played with her long pink hair that was tied in a high bun. Some strands were left loose near her ear. "I'm thinking of proposing."

Aomine's lips parted and his eyes went wide open.

"D-don't look at me like that! I just... well, we've... we've been together for 5 years now, so... maybe it's okay if we move forward? I mean, we haven't had fights yet and Tetsu-kun hasn't shown any disinterest." She stammered. "W-what do you think, Dai-chan? Do you think he will say yes?"

"I mean... I guess? I can't really read him, so if anyone knows the answer, it's you, isn't it?" He was still at a loss for word as shown by how he leaned back into the sofa. "I think Akashi's better if you wanna ask about this kinda shit... I mean, it took me 9 years to get with the guy I like, so what makes you think I'm ready for this talk?" The blunette said as he observed Maru climbing up his body to his shoulder, then jumped to his head where she nestled there. "Princess, you're heavy... Ah well."

"Okay, you have a point. But I don't trust anyone else with this aside from you, Dai-chan. At the very least, can you help me choose the ring? I want it to be absolutely amazing for Tetsu-kun." She scooted towards Aomine, picked Maru up and put her head on his lap. "Who's a good girl?" She cooed while lifting the feline up and down.

"I have the dunk contest tomorrow but I can join you afterwards. Speaking of, are you coming?"

"Of course I am, silly. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Especially with Kagamin there. That match a few weeks ago really blew up, huh? Everywhere I go, I see you two being talked about!"

"Hah, yeah. I mean, the playoff is coming soon and if we win all our matches, we'll meet at the conference finals. To do that, I gotta beat Akashi first, though." 

There was a knock on Aomine's hotel room's door before it was swung open to reveal a topless Aomine only covered in skinny jeans. In front of him on the couch was Satsuki who was sprawled there, head resting on the blunette's lap and she was lifting a Toyger in the air like it was Lion King.

"Oh, uh," The Timberwolves rookie stammered. "Aiden sent me. He asked if he can see Satsuki."

"Ahh, it must be about the meal planning for this week. She put the cat back on Aomine's lap after she got up. "Anyway, you better come with me after your dunk contest, okay? I can't do it alone!"

"Whatever." While shooing her, Aomine rolled his eyes, "Whaddya want?" He glanced at the rookie who was actually taller than he was. But then again, he and Kagami were probably the shortest PFs in the entire NBA active roster, so it wasn't difficult to be taller than them.

"Uh, I thought you're dating Taiga?" He asked curiously. "She's kinda hot, though..."

The idle remark was met with a cushion on the face that made him yelp. "Look, I'd rather fuck pigs than her. She's my sister, so stop being gross. Besides, she's already dating Tetsu and I won't do my best friend dirty like that." The blunette placed Maru on the sofa before grabbing a white tight tank top.

"Right, right. Sorry." He laughed as he returned the cushion back to where it belonged. "I didn't know Tetsu's got a girlfriend. Anyway, she doesn't even look like you!"

"We're not blood siblings. I've known her my entire life and she's like a sister to me." Said Aomine while he locked his room and walked towards the elevator with his new teammate. "What's for lunch?"

"Dunno. Is that your cat?" He pointed at Maru meowing comfortably on Aomine's shoulder.

"My princess. Isn't she the cutest little thing?" The blunette let out a wide grin as he scratched the feline behind the ears.

The rookie grinned. "You know, Daiki, you're so different than how the media portray you." He rested an elbow on his teammate's free shoulder as the elevator descended. "I saw you as this unapproachable, cocky and disrespectful guy 'cause you do those crazy streetball moves, but now I get it. Your real version of disrespect is when you play honest ball, right?"

"Something like that." Aomine laughed. "You know I don't take things seriously if I start playing like every other guy in the NBA. 'Sides, I don't care what everyone says about me."

The elevator door opened and they made their way towards the dining room where they saw a group of people huddling around a table. Hakim turned around, his beard now long and groomed. He waved at Aomine.

"Yo! Your boyfriend's here. Oh shit, is that Maru?" The burly man paced towards his teammate and picked up the cat with permission. It was quite a sight to see an almost 7-foot man carefully cradling a cat.

"Hey!" Sure enough, Kagami was there with his toothy grin and an enthusiastic wave that got Aomine's insides all warm and fuzzy. Unable to contain a smile, he walked towards his boyfriend and pulled him into a crushing hug right in front of his teammates. "Missed you too."

"Ahem, we don't welcome enemy spies. Everyone, it's time to catch him and torture him in our underground basement." He jabbed when he saw Kagami wearing his purple Lakers hoodie. "What're you doing here?"

"Thought I'd say hi. Our hotel is across the street. I also heard Satsuki's here, so."

"Oh, she's somewhere with Aiden and the nutritionist." Said Aomine as he sat on the desk and picked food off Kagami's plate. His teammates had scattered to give the two lovebirds some space. "Been doing stuff for the team, actually. The unofficial assistant coach."

"That's cheating." Upon remembering what a beast Satsuki was, Kagami narrowed his eyes.

"Hey, we have Tetsu. They're a buy one get one free deal." He grinned. "What were you talking about with them?"

"Hm? Nothing. It's just about the dunk contest tomorrow. I'm pretty excited to kick your ass."

Aomine rolled his eyes. "Funny joke." This time, he slurped Kagami's lemon and mint water. "Can't wait to see Midorima winning his 3P contest for the fourth time in a row, though. It's becoming a meme online. Check this one out." He took out his phone and showed an image of Midorima with the caption: '3P contest, more like who-can-be-the-runner-up for the 3p contest'

The redhead threw his head back and laughed. "I've seen that one. Did you see that trending video yesterday?"

"About how they should put Kise as well so they can have two Midorima's?"

"That too, but no, you should check this one out." He dragged his chair closer towards Aomine so their shoulders touched. The two then hunched together over the phone while sharing an earbud, then proceeded to giggle like little girls.

Unbeknownst to them, they were being filmed by some amused Timberwolves members who then uploaded it to their Twitter feed.

@JayyyBoi  
Lmao look at these 2 grown ass men giggling together. Seriously the cutest power couple if you ask me

It didn't take long before the official Minnesota Timberwolves page retweeted it with the caption:

@Timberwolves  
Tomorrow's rivals are today's sweethearts 🌈

And the Lakers, too, did the same quite promptly with:

@Lakers  
@Timberwolves give us our @Kagami_Tai back!

Then suddenly, Aomine frowned at the barrage of notifications on his Twitter. Kagami had to take out his phone too to see that he was flooded too. The two then looked up to see the Wolves boys waving at them with shit-eating grin.

"Sorry, you two were too cute. We couldn't resist." Jay snorted while high-fiving his friends. Maru was on his table being fed smoked salmon by some of the others.

If Aomine scowled, Kagami only laughed. Nothing could deny the relief over being accepted by so many people. While he didn't think it was a big deal for a professional athlete to openly come out as gay, he was glad to know that he was an inspiration for so many other closeted young people. In fact, he received so many magazine and TV interview requests about his sexuality and what it meant to his life. He hadn't accepted any of them, though. After all, he was still Kagami. Talking wasn't his strong suit.

Honestly, he was just happy being with Aomine. Recently, his Twitter timeline started to get filled with videos of his boyfriends doing silly things. There was this one of him hiding behind a pillow during a scary movie session (that Kagami tried hard to not pay attention to). There was one of him sleeping on the couch while sitting, then his body slowly angled to the side until he dropped onto the floor. The most popular one had got to be one where they went to Disneyland, though. There, Aomine had his mouse ears while he excitedly rid the carousel while screaming, "Kagami, look! It can go up and down and shit! Holy crap, this blue horse is so rad, I bet you're jealous. Whoo!" His laughter was so liberated and it was clear that he didn't know that he was being filmed.

Little by little, it shattered the illusion that Aomine was this cocky guy. Through Kagami, the world got to see what an absolute dork Aomine truly was.

"Ah, Kagamin!" Satsuki's voice was audible. The pinkette made her way towards the two and smacked a wet kiss on the redhead's cheek. "Sorry, but I have to steal Dai-chan. We're going to the airport." Her expression brightened. "Oh, why don't you come too?"

"Eh?" Kagami allowed himself to be dragged along while Aomine yelled a: 'take care of my princess!' to his teammates.

"Didn't Dai-chan tell you? He paid for the current Touou basketball team to come to observe the dunk contest, 3P contest and the rising star games! He even got them front-row tickets to the Wolves' first playoff match."

"You did _what_!?" Kagami gaped at the blunette who merely shrugged. "Wait, why didn't you tell me?"

"Didn't think it was a big deal. Besides, it's all over the news anyway."

After hearing that, the shorter male immediately went for his phone. Sure enough, there were many articles published about it.

"I dunno what to do with all that money I have. I wanna see what the runts these days got." He grinned, making Kagami's heart skip a beat. No matter what anyone said, Aomine was one of the softest guys he'd ever known.

They arrived at the airport soon enough and it turned out that the flight arrived quicker than expected. The Touou kids were already there looking around, admiring the airport while pointing at the signs and cars. Nothing could ever compare to the shine in their eyes the moment they saw Kagami, Aomine and Satsuki emerging out of the cab to meet with the current club's coach and the starter five brought with him.

"Aomine-san, Kagami-san, Momoi-san!" All of them practically crowded the three. "Woahh, I can't believe we get to meet you! Takashi right here lost sleep thinking about breathing the same air as you."

"O-oi, I can't help it, okay? I mean, they're all so cool..." There was a starstruck look on him as he grabbed his phone. "C-can I take a selfie with you guys?"

"Of course!" Satsuki was the first to respond. She took the device and snapped a photo of all of them together. Somehow, they managed to squeeze all five boys, two professional athletes, herself and the Touou coach in it.

She sent the picture to herself using Bluetooth and uploaded it to her own Twitter.

@PinkPeachPrincess  
Here with @Kagami_Tai and @AomineDaiki! Welcoming the boys from 桐皇~ ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ

The day went by so quickly after that. Kagami and Aomine went to practice in the evening while Satsuki ended up giving everyone a tour. The evening turned into night where Aomine snooped into the hotel opposite of where the Wolves were and smuggled himself into Kagami's room. The two were too tired to do anything else, so they ended up falling asleep in each other's arms until morning came.

Kagami must've forgotten to lock the door because some of his friends crashed into his room screaming: "Morning, Tiger!"

Then they promptly snapped photos when they saw their redhead blissfully spooning his lover. On the floor were strewn jackets and sweatpants of both Lakers and Timberwolves.

"Mmh, five more minutes..." Aomine moaned. However, his peace was ruined when he heard someone stomping towards him and clapped their hands in front of his face, making him jump.

"C-coach!" He widened his eyes in shock. Kuroko was right behind him, gathering Aomine's clothes and shoes while Aiden dragged his star player by the arm out of bed.

"Sorry for the trouble." He sighed exasperatedly at the very amused Lakers boys as he pulled the dark-skinned male out of the room, only clad in his Calvin Klein brief.

It went without saying that they were teased to death in their respective buses all the way to the Staples centre.

.

The dunk contest.

It happened once a year before the playoffs started. Out of the many active NBA stars, five best, most powerful dunkers were chosen to participate. There were five judges who could give a score up to 10 for a perfect total of 50 and this was Kagami's first time being invited. Last year, Aomine lost by the skin of his teeth against a powerhouse from the Houston Rockets.

Along with them, they had someone from the Hornets, Sixers and even though Harvey was supposed to be here as well, the guy turned down the invitation. In his place was a guy from the Celtics.

Kagami could really care less, though. All he cared about was putting one hell of a show so he could get the first place and show everyone who was the better athlete between the couple.

Aomine was already stretching on his side along with his friends and the Touou kids observing closely. To be honest, Kagami was jealous to see just how tightly-knit the team was. They joked around, not afraid to manhandle each other and he even saw someone slapping Aomine's ass and it wasn't replied with a scowl but an ass-slap back. They looked like a college frat boys who were always up for partying.

On the bench was Maru sitting on top of five pillows and a small crown on her head. The cameramen zoomed in on the cat and he heard the commentators saying about how this Toyger was the team's mascot. She even donned the Wolves' dark blue jersey on with the number 0.

"Isn't she the cutest little thing ever?" Aomine sighed dreamily at the cameraman who only laughed at him.

_"And so we begin the annual Dunk Contest!"_

Kagami hopped on his feet excitedly as he looked around the room to see many NBA legends such as Scottie Pippen as a judge, the usual Shaq using his tripod for his camera to take video on the front-row seat, Zion Williamson, Giannis and the likes. With so much to prove, excitement spilled out of him.

"Calm down, Taiga. You'll just screw this up otherwise." His teammate grinned while he patted Kagami's shoulder.

_"From Minnesota Timberwolves... number 10, Daiki... Aomineeee!"_

Aomine was the third to go. He waved at everyone and pumped up the crowd by raising his hands up and down and doing a gradual slow spin as he walked towards the three point line. The crowd lapped it up. It might be because of all the social media content of Aomine being a secret softie (and a cat person to boot) that he became one of the most loved athlete, but it could also be due to his hypnotic basketball that drove the fans wild.

Hakim stood close to the side of the backboard with a basketball in hand while Aomine stretched some more. With a nod, he ran forward and jumped the moment his friend bounced the ball against the glass. He caught it mid-air, spun 180 degrees while passing it under his legs from the left to the right hand and jammed the ball behind his back. The rim rattled while Aomine hung on it for a second, then he dropped and _winked_.

 _"Look at that_ power _!_ _That's a 10! If y'all doesn't give it a 10, I'm leaving!"_

And sure enough, the full score of 50 was displayed on the screen on the judges' table. Aomine laughed as he walked back towards his teammates who ruffled his hair.

Seeing that perfection only hyped Kagami even more. He watched the fourth player getting a solid 48 and he was practically vibrating at this point.

_"Last but not least, from the Los Angeles Lakers... number 10. Taiga Kagami!"_

Aomine was on the sidelines booing the redhead. Seeing the mischief, he pointed at Aomine and gestured for him to come to the court with his index finger.

_"Oooh, what is this!? Taiga is issuing a challenge!"_

The blunette shook his head. He paced towards the court and grabbed the ball that Kagami passed him. His boyfriend then grabbed his shoulders and positioned him on the inner ring where Aomine held the object above his head. The audience cheered when they realised what Kagami was about to do.

The redhead rolled his shoulders when he was on the three-point line. Then, he ran towards Aomine, stopped on the free-throw line and leapt so high above his head, it made Aomine laugh. Kagami snatched the ball from his boyfriend's hand and jammed it with all his strength into the ring. Seeing such crazy vertical, everyone roared.

_"Taiga! This generation's Jordan, I'm telling you. What's with that leap!? And can we talk about that power!?"_

Kagami pumped his fists when he received his perfect score of 50 too. Just like the Wolves, the Lakers ruffled Kagami's hair and playfully pushed him to the bench.

The dunk contest continued until there were only two left. Everyone gave it their all, but at the end of the day, it was Kagami and Aomine who had to go head-to-head. The two trash-talked each other from the opposing side of the bench, not forgetting to circle each other as if they were predators ready to strike. The teams, too, started to back their respective Japanese player. As a result, some sort of rivalry grew not only between their PFs, but the others as well.

Kagami's jumping power made everyone hang their mouths wide open. The redhead had enough hang time to tap the backboard with the ball after rotating 360 degrees before he dunked it in.

Aomine did a 180 and a windmill behind the back that certainly wasn't any less flashy.

_"And the winner for this year's dunk contest is..."_

_"...Taiga Kagami!"_

The Lakers bench erupted as they mobbed their redhead and lifted him up in the air. leaving the Wolves bench a little disappointed. Aomine looked annoyed too at the outcome, but he ended up congratulating his boyfriend anyway.

The day ended with the Lakers and the Wolves grabbing dinner together along with the Touou boys. The surprising camaraderie made its way into the media, all thanks to their power forwards. It was quite an entertaining story—rivals on court and friends off-court.

.

To say that the session that followed the dunk contest was heated would be a grave understatement.

The boys wouldn't let go of each other the moment they entered the house. Their lips desperately locked as they fought for dominance. All the while, they kicked their shoes in the rough direction of the rack and hoped they'd remember to fix them later before Tobyn came home and complained.

The two didn't make it very far. The moment Kagami's thigh touched the dining table, Aomine practically pushed him over it. With his body now sprawled, they continued to taste each other. Just like on the court, their tongues battled in the tight cavern of their mouths. Lustful hums and groans echoed inside the room as Aomine cleared the surface off anything that could potentially be in the way such as the salt and pepper shakers.

"You basket nerd." Kagami landed a powerless chop on his lover's head. "Seeing me play basket turns you on that much?"

In response to the sass, the blunette licked the shell of Kagami's ear, making him shudder. "You know it. Instant hard-on."

"At least you're honest." He laughed with exuberance, but the noise was soon drowned out by moans and groans when Aomine began rubbing his body up and down with those hot, calloused palms.

The dark fingers found their way to Kagami's nubs where he squeezed. Aomine revelled in the low, needy whine that always peeked out of his boyfriend's throat. His body tended to be so sensitive after a good workout. Hell if Aomine wouldn't take advantage of that.

"Nnh..." The redhead arched his back, in turn bucking his hips into Aomine's where their clothed erections met. The delicious wanton hisses were captured by Aomine's lips as they once again expressed their desire through their rough tongues.

"You're so damn gorgeous." The blunette whispered into the kiss while they ground their hips together. When he pulled away, he was met with an expanse of flushed tanned skin and a panting Kagami. 

Yeah. This man was perfect. Inside out, no one else could compare.

"What're you waiting for, stupid?" Kagami hooked a leg around Aomine's hip to pull him back into the kiss.

The night was still young.

.

After a few unsuccessful attempts at contacting her stupid Dai-chan who was probably too busy boning his shiny new boyfriend, Satsuki relented. She ended up calling Alex instead for assistance and thank god, she promptly arrived at the shopping mall only clad in a white tank top that revealed her toned abs and booty denim jeans that concealed very little. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail and she rocked a black dockside shoes to go with her outfit.

"Satsuki!" She took the girl in a crushing embrace and planted a sloppy kiss on her forehead.

"Alex, it tickles!" She giggled at the sensation but ended up curling her arm around the Westerner's. "Listen, can you believe Dai-chan dares to leave me on read? I even told him I was gonna go shopping!"

"Boys, right? Always so inconsiderate. This is why I like women better." The blond shook her head.

"How's your wife?"

"Good, good! She recently picked up painting and I laughed way too much at her horrible attempts at still life and she hit me. Hurts." Despite that, she was laughing. "So... you sounded restless in the phone. Anything you want to talk about? Relationship advice? Don't worry, big sis will take care of you."

Satsuki giggled as she pressed closer towards Alex who cooed affectionately. "Actually, I want to buy a ring."

"Ring? You're proposing?" She widened her eyes, lips turning into a huge smile.

"Y-yeah... is it weird? I mean, usually, guys are the ones doing the proposing..."

"Not at all! I respect that. You've got _guts_." She grinned. "Alright, it's decided. We'll get you the best damn ring ever!"

And so began the girls' night out of their dreams.

.

Among all of the Japan gang, half of them made it to the all-star lineup that year. This was Akashi, Aomine and Kise's first time but Midorima's second. All of them were put as the reserve members due to the star-status of the other eight, but they certainly weren't complaining. It was nice to get the recognition and the opportunity to play against some of the most prolific players.

"How was it, Midorimacchi?" Kise had been nagging his green-haired friend for the last ten minutes but received grunts in response. "Come on, you gotta tell us!"

"You'll find out on the day."

"Stop saying that! Geez..." The blond curled his lips in a pout. "But this is so exciting! We get to play together again. Whose team do you guys think you'll go to?"

"That's always a difficult question to answer." Akashi hummed. "But between McClain and James, I'd rather be with the latter. He is far more open to suggestions than McClain ever is."

"The better you are, the more pride you have. Sometimes it's a double-edged sword." Kuroko agreed while he slurped on his vanilla milkshake. They soon had to leave for their first playoff match, but of course they had to have a small get-together beforehand.

Kise looked absolutely chuffed to be selected for this honour while Kagami was sulking in the corner. Aomine was right next to him, naturally picking on him.

"I think I'd rather join McClain's team, though! He's super cool... seriously, his plays are just too good to pass up. But regardless, I'll be happy just playing." The blond said in a singsong voice. "Hey, where's Momocchi? She's usually all over you, Kurokocchi!"

"She's occupied. Ever since yesterday, she has been off the line."

"I believe she's with Alex. Something about girls' night out or something." Himuro added.

"Eergh..." Murasakibara groaned in distaste. "I don't like Alex-chin... and if she's with Sa-chin then it's even worse."

"How are you settling on your team, Kagami?" The shorter redhead interrupted the couple bickering session in front of them.

"Oh, uh..." He looked away from Aomine. "Fine! Everything's great." There was that sunny smile that never ceased to make everyone think that nothing was wrong in the world. Seeing the exuberance only relieved the boys in the room. "It's a lot better there. I can tell some people keep their distance, but they're not saying anything and they don't have a problem working with me on the court, so it's a big improvement."

"I'll beat 'em up if they talk shit 'bout you!" Aomine harrumphed even though he just talked shit about Kagami earlier. As of reading everyone's minds, he scowled. "The only one who can talk shit about you is me."

"Logic. What are they?" Kise snorted while he stirred his fizzy beverage. "Oh, oh! When's the wedding, Himurocchi? You still haven't told us. We're invited, right?"

The question seemed to brighten Murasakibara's eyes. The purple giant sat up and let out a rare smile. "It's gonna be mid-next year. A lot of food!"

"Yeah, yeah. And even more sweets." The dark-haired male tangled his fingers with his fiance's under the table. The two exchanged warm, longing eyes that didn't go past anyone. How they managed to keep their relationship hush-hush, no one knew for sure. "It'll probably be in a restaurant somewhere. We'll have the ceremony the day before, but we'll let you know."

"Man, I can't believe you're getting married. It feels like only yesterday that you punched me in the face so hard, I thought my teeth came out." Kagami grinned.

"Or when we threatened to stop being brothers." His friend sighed in amusement. All of those seemed so far away now. Everyone had gotten so far but their friendship hadn't regressed at all. In fact, their bond remained strong. Himuro was actually still surprised that he managed to get along with this peculiar group. Well, unusual or not, they were all good people.

"Hey, hey, did you hear?" Kise interrupted while drumming his fingers restlessly against the table. "That they're choosing the next posterboy for the newest NBA2K game. News has it that Aominecchi, you're one of the biggest names right now! Aw... I'm so jealous... you're getting all the attention."

"It comes down to marketability. Comparing to you, Aomine is a lot more talked about." Midorima pushed his glasses.

"Then why aren't you on the cover, Midorimacchi? Or Akashicchi? You two aren't any less popular. I mean, we four made it to the all-star selection." The blond sulked. Despite his relatively big fanbase, he somehow wasn't famous enough in the field, apparently.

"We don't get to choose our fame, Kise. It just so happens that Aomine's basketball is controversial enough to spark a debate and if there are enough mouths, there is more recognition. It all comes down to what can make them the most money." Akashi explained calmly. "And that's why they are talking about putting Kagami with him too."

"Can't say I'm surprised. Your head-to-head during the regular season sparked a lot of excitement." The greenhead looked at the pair who scratched the back of their heads, slightly embarrassed at the attention.

"Whatever. It's pretty cool I guess." The blunette muttered before glaring at Kagami who kicked his foot.

"It's a great honour to be representing NBA! Don't just brush this off as one of those annoying photoshoots. This is _different_. Jeez, have some pride, Ahomine."

"Whatever, nerd. Ow!" He rubbed his arm after a powerful smack to it by his boyfriend. "What's your problem..."

"I don't know why I'm even dating you, you manchild."

And their bickering session lasted all the way back to their apartment, even after Aomine was all packed up and ready to fly back to Minnesota. Naturally, Kagami drove him all the way there, all while still arguing about how Aomine's overall score in NBA2K was way higher than Kagami's. _It's because I was in that shitty team!_ Kagami said. _Bullshit, you're just bad._ Aomine retaliated. _Whatever, just kiss me._ The redhead then rolled his eyes.

Of course, they crashed their lips together, not realising that the entire Timberwolves members were literally right there.

"Well, shit, Taiga. You wanna come with us too?" One of them snorted. It was followed with a round of laughter that turned the pair beet red.

"U-uh," He stammered. "I'm good. Sorry!" With that, he stormed out of the airport.

"Man, if only my girlfriend's half as affectionate maybe I'll be as happy as Daiki too." One of them mumbled.

"Fuck off. Let's just go!" Cheeks absolutely ablaze, he stomped past his cheeky team members who continued to coo even after the plane had taken off. Behind him, he could hear Satsuki's high-pitched squeal and Kuroko's amused chuckle.

"Daiki," Aiden settled next to the athlete who was busy spoiling his adorable cat (or team mascot) in the private plane. "Let's talk contract."

"Mm. Shoot."

"I know it's over this year, so I'm thinking of renewing it. How does 4 years sound? We'll raise your salary too, of course." He said quietly. "An extra $5,902,331. So in total, you'll get $15,120,224 yearly."

The blunette frowned when he was presented with the fine print that he flicked through. He didn't care much about the money, but there was a lot to think about in terms of his future. Playing with Kuroko had been nothing short of exciting and he'd love to tighten that bond with his old best friend. However, it just wasn't the same...

Oh, he _loved_ Kuroko. Their chemistry was undeniably high and no one could deny that. But it wasn't in the same way he loved playing with Kagami. Truth be told, he wanted to bolt to Kagami's side, but he wasn't sure how the redhead would react to it. He knew that Kagami wanted his space when it came to basketball, so would him coming to the Lakers be more of a detriment? Besides, there was no guarantee that the Lakers would offer him any sort of contract.

God, he hated this team. Not only were they too playful, but they also took losses too lightly. It honestly ticked Aomine off sometimes. However, there was no denying that he made some amazing, accepting friends here. If anything, it was a love-hate relationship. If it wasn't for their failure to give it their all in the matches, then Aomine would've felt right at home. Alas, it was difficult to change a habit and he was only one man among many.

It wasn't even losing that particularly ticked him off. Sure, it was frustrating to not be the best, but it was being _okay_ with losing that really riled him up. And to top it off, they never tried to figure out why they were losing and how to work around that. Honestly...

He sighed. The furrow on his brows was prominent.

"If the money—"

"I don't care about the fucking money, coach. Do something about the damn team." He groaned in frustration. "Look, I love this team. Everyone is so nice, but if no one wants to win, then I don't wanna play."

Aiden nodded in understanding. "I know. It's something that I have to address. However, I'm confident in our chances this year. We have you and Tetsu, so we should be able to make it far."

"But just putting everything on our backs isn't enough! You saw how we almost lost to the Lakers during the regular season. If the whole team doesn't lift up their game, then it's useless!"

"Aomine-kun." Came Kuroko's voice that made the two jump on their seats. "I understand your sentiment. Coach Aiden, with due respect, I believe we all need to talk. We are not saying that you are an incapable coach. Far from it. In fact, all of your pointers and tactics have assisted us greatly. However, you need to set your foot down when it comes to team discipline."

"Two years." Aomine pushed the contract back and stood up. "Give me two years. If nothing happens after that, I'm leaving." Then, he walked towards the other corner of the plane, put his earphones on and put his hoodies up. He made sure to jam his hands in his pocket and glare out of the window as well.

"Please don't take offence in what Dai-chan says." Satsuki appeared from behind them this time. "He's always been competitive, you see. Ever since he was little, all he wanted to do was to better himself. He's just frustrated right now. If he truly doesn't care about the team, then he would've rejected the offer straight out. He might be crass at times, but he's a good kid deep down."

The coach put a hand over his face and exhaled lightly. "Yeah. It's rare to find someone as good as he is who's willing to work with the team even though I know they frustrate him to no end."

While Satsuki and Aiden busied themselves with discussing on how to tackle this issue, Kuroko, without the other blunette knowing, sat next to him.

"You know, Aomine-kun," He gave his friend a smile. "I'm really happy Kagami-kun went to Touou."

"Haah? Where did that come from?" Apparently not even listening to any music, he snapped.

"Just a thought." Kuroko shrugged in response only to have a large hand ruffling his hair. Though no further words were exchanged, there was a side smirk on Aomine's face that silently said a: _Yeah. Me too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW I did base some of these OCs appearances from existing NBA players in case you need extra imagery~ (but then I don't really give two shits about OCs in general so don't mind mine just being flat AF)
> 
> Timberwolves  
> Aiden - [Brad Stevens](http://res-3.cloudinary.com/ybmedia/image/upload/c_scale,f_auto,q_auto,w_700/v1/m/8/6/8622ddc2e201037c61c7826e09ad0fbbaf986272/USATSI_11333846.jpg)  
> Hakim - [James Harden](https://sportshub.cbsistatic.com/i/r/2019/10/07/3db9fcb5-5c81-46e1-ae16-fbb0f75b7e99/thumbnail/1200x675/bc694f95524448563a6df73a87714905/james-harden.jpg)  
> Jay - [Kyle Kuzma](https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/GettyImages-1208732117-1.jpg)
> 
> Lakers  
> McClain - [AD](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/69dbcef/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2540x1693+0+0/resize/1486x990!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2Fa3%2F441cf0134873a7f27261c099a529%2Flakers-knicks-basketball-38697.jpg)  
> Chris - [Frank Vogel](https://www.nba.com/magic/sites/magic/files/frankvogel4_760_052116.jpg)
> 
> Heat  
> Grady - [Rajon Rondo](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2020/07/13/USAT/8b768e89-67b1-41ca-a8e9-416bb1555e6b-USATSI_14243185.jpg)  
> Harvey - [Dwight Howard](https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/fit-in/416x416/filters%3Aformat%28jpg%29/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fimageserve%2F5cfe9e574c687b0008593aac%2F0x0.jpg%3Fbackground%3D000000%26cropX1%3D852%26cropX2%3D4310%26cropY1%3D0%26cropY2%3D3456) (I'm sorry Dwight I REALLY LOVE YOU BUT)
> 
> Btw I might not update next week because I'm taking a break and might work on my late Kinktober stuff


	37. Our Life Together

Collective grunts could be heard inside the bright white studio that would make the majority squint. However, having already adjusted to the lighting of the room, Aomine and Kagami only muttered grumble after grumble as their bodies were shifted one millimetre at a time. Sometimes, their heads would be angled slightly or arms adjusted. Seriously, it started to get under their skin.

"Can we start already? I'm starving." Aomine finally snapped with his accented English that Kagami always found endearing.

Apparently already anticipated the dark-skinned male's crass behaviour, the staff members only chuckled and motioned at the cameramen to start getting ready.

"Patience, Daiki. I know you've never attended a photoshoot before, but this process cannot be rushed. We have to make sure to perfectly capture all of you." She smiled, undeterred. "Alright, now give us your best game face! Imagine you're facing each other on the court and one of you is one point behind."

"Hm..." The redhead scratched his head. "That's easier said than done. It's not something we can suddenly picture."

In response to that, the staff member turned towards Satsuki who was busy swaying his feet back and forth on the sideline while sipping on a strawberry milkshake. Next to her was Kuroko with his vanilla. "Dai-chan! Kagamin just threw away your Mai-chan collection."

"Wh—the fuck, you bastard!? What did I ever do to you!"

"Oi, what the hell, I didn't do anything like that—"

"Perfect!" The staff member clapped excitedly before she grabbed a basketball and passed it towards the boys who realised that they had been tricked by Satsuki. "Now, let's start the real shoot."

"There's another one!?" Both of them grumbled but complied anyway. "I wasn't told that this was gonna take _hours_."

"Now, now. Just follow the instructions and we can all get out of here quickly." Satsuki hummed as she trailed after everyone else towards another, more spacious room filled with even more equipment.

"As you know, we are doing a photoshoot for this year's NBA2K cover. Now, usually, we do individual shoot instead of by pair, but this year, we decided to freshen it up. You two are somewhat of a talking point, so we'd like to see some sort of tension here. Preferably, we'd like to see Taiga defending Daiki."

The session lasted for another hour where the boys had to awkward shuffle around each other while pretending to play basketball. It wasn't exactly the smoothest photoshoot ever, but they eventually finished after a few threatening looks from Kuroko. They weren't allowed to look at the finished product due to the "surprise element" or something like that, but they didn't really care to anyway. All they wanted to do was go home and eat. They were _starving_.

"Wait, Dai-chan!" Satsuki pulls on her friend's wrist with a huge smile that usually only meant trouble. "I have a surprise for you."

"What is it this time? Unless Mai-chan walks through that door, I don't wanna hear it."

"I think this is _better_ than Mai-chan." In response, the pinkette giggled and rushed towards the double door. It opened with a loud creak, bright white light spilled into the dim room and...

"Dai-nii!"

Two pairs of arms found their way towards the blunette's where he jerked back a few steps to keep his balance. It took him a few moments to realise who they were.

"Millie? Lily?" He widened his eyes before turning once more towards the door to see two other familiar faces. "Jacob! Miyako too."

"Long time no see, kiddo. They had been dying to go find you ever since we landed at the airport, so here we are." The African-American laughed. "Hello, Taiga. Been well? Ah, this is my wife, Miyako."

The two shook hands while Aomine expressed his awe at how tall the two girls had grown. "Nice to meet you, Miyako-san."

"No need for formality, Taiga. Daiki is like our son already." She giggled but returned the handshake anyway.

"Looks like he's got so many parents now. I'm kinda jealous." The redhead grinned.

"Congratulation for making it to the conference finals. That match against the Wolves was quite the spectacle." Jacob said as they all walked together out of the photoshoot location towards a restaurant. "I have to say that I wasn't expecting you guys to win, since Daiki and Tetsuya have been doing exceptionally well."

Kagami shrugged. "I knew we'd win. My team is pretty strong, you know? We've got the best playmaker and defensive player of the whole NBA, after all."

"Still, it was a fantastic game. I suppose the entirety of the Lakers completely dominated the rest of the Wolves. It comes down to experience at the end of the day, huh?" He slapped Kagami's shoulder. "I might be a Lakers fan now." The redhead laughed in response to that, but Jacob noticed something amiss about the supposedly cheerful gesture. "Is something on your mind?"

"Mm..." He glanced at Aomine who was still busy talking with the girls. The sight warmed Kagami just a little. Looked like his boyfriend was the type to be loved by the kids even though the two girls were already teenagers now. One of them inherited Miyako's silky hair while the other took after Jacob in her skin and curl. "Well, I dunno... I feel like Daiki needs a better team? They're a good match for him in term of personality, but I dunno about their chemistry on-court. Like, maybe they're not intense enough, you know?"

Jacob nodded. "I know what you mean. The Wolves are used to losing, so I believe they just stopped caring. The management is to blame as well."

"Yeah, I thought so too." He glanced at the other male. "And I'm not sure if it's true or not, but I heard Aiden is getting sacked soon. They're doing a rebuild or something."

"Oh? No, I haven't heard anything like that. Does Daiki know?"

"I haven't asked. My friends texted me this morning and I haven't had the chance to talk about it." He scratched his head. "But I have mixed feelings about it."

_Dai-nii, check this out. We won last year's interhigh!_

_Daiki-nii, I told all my friends about you and none of them believes me! Can we take a selfie real quick?_

"He sure is loved." The redhead shook his head.

"You'll be surprised by how well Daiki deals with children. He certainly left a long-lasting impact on my princesses," The elder remarked as they entered the American barbecue restaurant. "Oh, I hope we're not interrupting your day?"

"Ahh, not particularly. We have an interview nearby in a couple of hours, but no rush."

"Interview?" He raised his eyebrows. "That's rare. I hardly ever see you speaking up on _anything_!"

"Yeah... it's more of a favour. My team asked if I can attend for publicity. Jersey sales and stuff like that, y'know? I didn't wanna turn them down, so here I am. Daiki too, since I think I'd be too nervous doing it alone."

"Well, damn. Good luck, kiddo." Jacob slapped Kagami's back. "How are you two doing? I hope you don't have to deal with anything stupid after you came out as gay."

"Good. Surprisingly. I mean, there are still people who can't really accept it, but it's in one ear and out the other. You can never please everyone. What matters is that everyone close to me doesn't really care about my sexuality."

_You two should get the onion gravy scotch here. It's to die for._

_Really? If Dai-nii says it's good, then I'll order it!_

_Me too, me too!_

"Yeah, that's how you know your friends are real. Never let anyone give you a hard time, Taiga. Life is too short to sweat the small details. Be grateful for what you have and try your hardest to keep you love close." The older male smiled.

There was something really comforting and genuine behind all of his words and gesture, Kagami immediately saw how this man could handle teenage Aomine. He was patient but behind it was a layer of parental strictness. He seemed like the type of person who always knew the right thing to say no matter the situation.

Miyako giggled next to Jacob. "You see, Taiga, he cried when he saw the news that you two openly came out as a couple."

"Dear! We agreed to not discuss this!"

"Ah, but I can't resist. I know how much you love Daiki." She gleefully proclaimed while Kagami and Jacob turned beet red.

"I can't help it! I mean, all Daiki ever talked about was 'Kagami this' and 'Kagami that'... and when I actually saw you, I realised that you're such a great influence on him. And of course, there was you going through that traumatising thing in Miami Heat. You're so _strong_ , Taiga. You've been through so much and so has Daiki. Of _course_ I was happy that you got together." He sighed. "Really, I mean it when I say I think of Daiki as my own son. So, to see him smiling ear-to-ear is... well, is just a relief." Admitted Jacob, then he followed it with a pause. "You're good for each other."

The redhead nodded sheepishly. It was surprisingly embarrassing to hear such words coming out of someone else's mouth. Instead of saying something coherent, he nervously thumbed his glass of water instead.

"So, any plan to play with him again?"

"In the same team?" Kagami pursed his lips before turning towards Aomine who had started to put the orders in. His accented English seemed to impress the two girls who endlessly fawned over him. "I guess so. It's been a good break for me. You know, rediscovering what I'm capable of once again. Now that I feel like I haven't slipped, maybe I'd like to again. Just like the old days."

Jacob nodded in understanding. "I see. So that's the reason you didn't join the Wolves."

"It's kinda embarrassing, isn't it?" The athlete rubbed the back of his neck. "I just thought that maybe the years I spent not going all out made me a worse player. I was just worried that Daiki will be disappointed in me. But now that I know I can still match him, I think we'll be fine."

"I have my eyes on both of you." The dark-skinned elder winked.

In the background, Aomine continued watching some footages of Millie and Lily's games on a phone while he uttered his awe at the girls' skill. He ruffled their hair and smooched their foreheads like a proud father and it made Kagami smile.

.

Kuroko and Satsuki ended up doing their own thing while the two boyfriends had lunch with their old friends. They could use some time off anyway. Babysitting Aomine and Kagami was always tiring, no matter how cute they were.

For lunch, they grabbed some Vietnamese pork roll that they ate in the nearby park. They then went for some window shopping while they waited for the interview time to hit. The entire time, Satsuki nervously palmed the box of ring in her purse. It was sitting heavy and she wished she could just give it to Kuroko without overthinking it. 

"Satsuki, are you okay?" The light-haired male placed a hand over her forehead. The gesture made her jump just a little.

"U-uh, yeah! I was just thinking. Eheh..." She scratched her chin nervously. Kuroko obviously wasn't buying it but decided to only tilt his head in response. Satsuki then held her boyfriend's arm with of hers and they continued walking along the strip of shopping alley in relative silence. "Um, Tetsu-kun... what do you think about commitment?"

The question seemed to puzzle the male and he looked at Satsuki cryptically. "We _are_ committed, no?"

"T-that's not what I meant!" She flailed.

A lightbulb seemed to pop on Kuroko's head as he blinked, eyes wide in surprise. It didn't take much for him to read through the situation and went to the only logical conclusion. "Are you talking about marriage?"

Satsuki wasn't even surprised that Kuroko read her so quickly. Her Tetsu-kun had always been so intelligent, so there was no point in trying to play it off. So, she dug into her purse, clenched the box in her palm and stretched her hands out towards Kuroko while bowing her head low. She was too nervous to face him.

Kuroko was too dumbfounded to even do anything. He watched as Satsuki stammered out her confession in public with her cheeks absolutely aflame. "W-will you marry me, Tetsu-kun!?"

 _Oh noooo! I did it!_ The pinkette flailed internally. _What if he says no? It'll be so awkward. I should've thought about this more!_

For what seemed to be hours, nothing happened. They could hear the chitter-chatter of the crowd around them as her entire face grew hotter by the second. Her heart drummed in her chest and sweat started to fall as the realisation that maybe, this was a huge mistake, started sinking in.

Just before she had any chance to brush it off and maybe cry herself to sleep, Kuroko grasped her hands and the box gently.

"Satsuki, please look at me when you're proposing." His voice was tender and it soothed Satsuki enough to tentatively glance at her boyfriend who had a huge smile on his face. "There we go. I'd like to see your beautiful face."

"Nmmmh!" She squirmed and felt tears prickling her eyes when she realised that she wasn't about to get rejected. That smile was not one of pity, but of love and Satsuki felt like she was gonna burst into a million tiny pieces. "M-marry me, Tetsu-kun! I...I mean, w-will you?"

"Of course I will, Satsuki." He clicked open the box to see a beautiful glimmering silver ring that curled at the crown to accommodate two heart-shaped gems of light blue and pink. "It's beautiful."

"T-Tetsu-kun..." She grinned the moment her now fiance wiped away the prickle of tears on the corner of her eyes. "I'm so happy! This is the best day of my life!" She all but leapt towards Kuroko, curled her arms around his neck and dangled there while giggling. All the while, Kuroko laughed while stroking Satsuki's hair lovingly.

"Thank you for taking the initiative, Satsuki. I suppose such boldness is what is so charming about you." The two embraced each other for a few more moments while the crowd around them giggled at the two lovebirds. "I must say that I'm ashamed you found the courage to do what I couldn't." Kuroko murmured bashfully into her ear. "I love you, Satsuki."

"Waaah! Tetsu-kun, I love you too!" She wailed into his shoulder at the heartfelt confession. She never would've imagined that her childhood crush was going to go anywhere, let alone to _this_. To say she was exuberant would be an understatement, but she had forever to let the fact that she was going to be Kuroko's wife, sink in.

.

"First of all, I have to say on behalf of many fans, what an enchanting battle between you two this season! It's unbelievable to see half the things you two get up to on the court. Tell me, the reason you can read each other so well, is it because you two are in a committed relationship?"

Kagami turned towards Aomine before answering. "Uh, no. Our relationship has nothing to do with it. I guess our playstyle is just similar? We don't think. We do."

"Ah, is that so? But you two would surely be closer now than before. Arguably, it would help you, right?"

"Not really." Aomine muttered at the irritating prodding. This was why he didn't want to participate in any interviews. "We play hard. What happens off-court has nothing to do with it."

The host seemed to understand the hostility, so she quickly zipped it. While Kagami looked too polite to want to offend, Aomine certainly wasn't scared of crushing the eggshells he walked on.

"I see, I see." She quickly recovered. "Well, it's a shame that you lost to the Milwaukee Bucks this time, Taiga, but I know you can do it next year!"

"Thank you. I'll do my best." He glanced to the crowd in front of him and saw Satsuki along with Kuroko on the front row. His palm palpitation immediately calmed down at the familiar face.

"So, talk to me about endorsement. You two have companies lined up offering you such unthinkable numbers, but you've accepted none of them! What's happening there, are they just not the right kind of deal?"

"It's a pain in the ass." Aomine said before Kagami could open his mouth. As a reward, he received an elbow to the side that made him yelp.

"We both don't really care about the money. We're just here to play and don't want to sweat the details."

The interviewer then asked a few more equally intrusive questions that the pair couldn't wait to get the hell away from. If not for Kagami's teammates, then they would never do this. They wanted to play basketball against people who lived and breathed it, but they sure as hell didn't want the hassle that came with it.

The moment it was finished, they quickly packed up and charged out of the studio as if it was a torture chamber. Satsuki and Kuroko followed them while commenting about how rude they were being, but there was no denying the intense lovey-dovey aura surrounding them. Neither men had caught on yet, though.

The entire ride home was quiet. Kuroko drove his glossy black sedan with Satsuki on the shotgun while Aomine and Kagami slumped on the backseat, absolutely beat. The redhead had his eyes closed while the blunette was browsing something on his phone. The extended period of silence piqued Kagami's interest, especially after seeing Aomine's brows scrunching cutely.

"What's up?" He scooted closer towards his boyfriend to see a list of property prices.

"Thinking of getting a house. It's probably not good to freeload at yours forever. We don't have our own privacy."

"Oh, are you inviting me to move in with you? How _bold,_ Daiki." Kagami teased only for Aomine to roll his eyes. "But seriously, where?"

"Santa Monica, obviously. I'm already attached." He laughed heartily. It was a sound Kagami could get addicted to. The high school Aomine would never sound so liberated like that. Sometimes, looking at them now, he realised just how far they'd come from the stinky, naive teenagers they were. Honestly, he didn't think he could be standing here without Aomine accompanying him throughout his teenage years.

"How many bedrooms?"

"Mm... Three? No, four." The bluehead tapped his chin thoughtfully. "One for us, one for you when you piss me the hell off," That was replied with a playful shove. "One guest room and... one for my sneaker collection."

Kagami snorted. "You're a sneakerhead? I mean, should've guessed."

"Sneakers are cool. I just haven't splurged because I have no idea where to put them. Anyway, I wanna commission a super cool mounted wall for them. It's gonna look so damn good." He grinned boyishly.

"Can we get a big kitchen too?"

"Sure, do whatever you want. As long as I get to eat gourmet quality stuff, I'm happy." Said Aomine before he resumed scrolling. "Basketball court would be nice... But there's a streetcourt nearby, I guess."

"Yeah, don't go crazy. Who's gonna clean all that up?"

"What about a pool?"

"Come on... there's a beach right around the corner."

"Let's get an outdoor hot tub, then."

"Okay, fine. That's good."

Unbeknownst to them, Satsuki was watching the interaction through the rearview mirror with a soft smile. She exchanged a glance with Kuroko and a smile at how their stupid friends could always so easily get lost in their own world.

"How long do you think before they finally tie it?" The soft-spoken male shook his head.

"They've been together for almost two years. Let's see... probably another seven years?" She giggled.

"What're you two laughing about?" Came the accusing tone from the backseat.

"Nothing." They grinned. "Nothing at all."

.

It was 6 PM by the time they got back to Kagami's place. It was a rare occasion to see Tobyn already on the dining table with a stack of takeaway food. The elder's eyes widened slightly when they saw his son along with Aomine.

"Dad! You're back from Atlanta? How's everything?"

"Under control." He said as he dumped some takeaway fried rice into a big bowl and set it on the dining table. "I saw your interview earlier. Couldn't wait to get out of there as soon as possible, huh?"

"Something like that. She was annoying." The redhead shrugged but not before he helped to set the table. Aomine was there to help him too. "Oh, right. I heard that you're getting a new coach, Daiki?"

"Ugh." The blunette groaned. "Yeah, they're firing Aiden. The stupidest idea they've ever had. He's too lax, but he's actually really good. I'm trying to convince them to not do it, but I doubt I'll have much say in whatever hot mess the upper management wants to unleash." Said Aomine while he put the last of the cutlery on the table and sat next to Kagami.

They started eating straight after that. The menu was a mountain of mixed fried rice, some sweet and sour chicken, pan fried dumplings, stir-fry green bean and prawn wonton soup. They ate in relative quiet while Kagami scrunched his brows the entire time. Jacob's earlier question kept bouncing around in his head until it became significant enough for him to sigh.

"Hey, Daiki."

"Mm?" The blunette asked with his mouth full.

"I know you're planning on signing with the Wolves for another two years and that you have a lot of friends there," He muttered before putting a spoon full of rice into his mouth. "But say, you don't get a ring by the time it all blows over. Will you consider joining another team?"

"Championship ring, huh?" This time, it was Aomine's turn to deflate. He set his bowl on the table and curled his lips thoughtfully. "I mean, I gave them my ultimatum already. It's either they get their shit together or I'm leaving. So if by then we still haven't won because everyone's dicking around, then of course I'll leave."

Despite the finality of the statement, Kagami could sense some hesitation. Even through the body language as well, he could see it. "You don't sound certain."

"I guess not." He exhaled as he picked up his bowl and put some pieces of chicken into it. "Tetsu's there. So is Satsuki. I doubt they're leaving any time soon. He might seem frail, but he's a crazy loyal guy. The Wolves saw him for the player he is, so I think he'll devote his entire career there. Probably."

A frown formed on Kagami's forehead while he pondered about Kuroko and Aomine's relationship. Their chemistry on the court was certainly mesmerising, much to his chagrin. Would that time he spent with Kuroko be enough to make him not want to play with him anymo—

Kagami slapped his cheeks with his palms, making the other two men jolt in surprise.

_No, stop thinking negatively, Taiga!_

"What's with _you_?" Aomine chuckled.

"Daiki!" He turned towards his boyfriends, eyes glimmering and all. "Uh, why don't you join my team? I mean, if they offer you. Or something."

"O-oh?" The dark-skinned male blinked in surprise.

"Well, that's one way to propose." Tobyn snorted while the boys glared at him in embarrassment.

"Dad!" Kagami grumbled. "I was just wondering if you wanna play together again... I guess."

"You want to?" Aomine looked so genuinely surprised that it made Kagami frown.

"Of course I do."

"Oh. I just thought that... since you said you wanna do your own thing or whatever, you don't wanna play with me." He exhaled in relief internally. After all, he'd be lying if he said that this thought hadn't been plaguing him. "But if I have the chance, I'll take it in a heartbeat."

The two became flushed as they played with their food. "Okay. I'll... talk to coach or something. Maybe he can—"

"No, I wanna get in because they want me. Don't sweet-talk them. That's lame." The bluehead rolled his eyes.

The redhead chuckled. "Fine, fine. You and your damn pride." Not like he could say any different about himself, but still.

From there, they quickly finished their dinner and watched the TV before retreating into bed. It was a ritual for Aomine to spend his off-season in Santa Monica with Kagami. It was a great place to shop, eat, surf and play basket. There was also an amazing gym just across the street that they frequented.

Aomine snuggled into Kagami's chest after he buried himself under the cover. His strong arm curled around the redhead's waist and he sighed contently while his boyfriend played with his hair. Kagami was still busy texting his teammates who made plans to hang out in a few days, not forgetting to land a kiss on top of Aomine's hair every now and then. He was always rewarded with a purr that sometimes he didn't know if it came from Aomine or Maru.

His teammates were honestly great people, but then again it wasn't hard to find a better team than the Heat. The Lakers had been nothing but accepting of his sexuality and everyone had been such mentors to him. It could get extremely hectic there with training and the impatience of their star players, but Kagami wouldn't have it any other way. If he didn't love being pushed to his absolute limit, he wouldn't have lasted so long under Alex's merciless tutelage.

 _'Have fun with Daiki!'_ Quipped his shooting guard friend in their group chat that made Kagami's cheeks brighten.

 _'Shuddup! We're not doing anything.'_ He replied in embarrassment. Their love life was common knowledge already due to how much PDA Aomine showed. He wasn't sure why exactly, but to be honest, Kagami found it reassuring. After being Harvey's secret side bitch for far too long, he relished in the fact Aomine was loud and proud about their relationship. Like he wasn't some dirty little toy too disgusting to be taken out of the shelf.

The thought made Kagami smile. He tightened his grip around Aomine's body and once kissed the top of his head before putting his phone on the nightstand and turning off the light.

"Surfing tomorrow?" He hummed. The question was replied with a hum back from the overgrown cat.

"Basket after. Can't wait to teach those runts a few more lessons again."

"You're a sadist."

"You love me."

Yeah. Kagami really did.

.

"Hey, Tai."

"It's 2 AM. Just sleep already."

"Have you heard about the NBA2K curse?"

"Daiki... I swear." The redhead shuffled in the bed. He really wasn't in the mood for any horror story. In fact, he was _never_ in mood for one.

"No, _listen_." Aomine said as he nipped on his boyfriend's collarbone to emphasise his point. "You remember PG? Paul George? He was in the Pacers, then right after the game was released, he jumped ship to Thunder. Then there's LeBron. He was in the Cavs then after he became the posterboy, bam! Lakers. Same thing with AD. One second Pelicans, next second posterboy, then guess what? Lakers!"

"The fuck are you saying?" Kagami shook his head at Aomine's shenanigans.

"Everyone who's been the face of NBA2K jumped ship straight after the game was out."

Okay, so it wasn't a scary story. The shorter male massaged his temple and sighed. "What, you think the same is gonna happen to us?"

"Maybe. Maybe it's a sign that we'll both move, y'know? Like... dunno, get transferred into the same team or some shit. Maybe it's a damn prophecy." The blunette peeked from under the cover.

The sight combined with the hopeful tone took Kagami by surprise. It never ceased to baffle him just how bold Aomine was in comparison to his bratty highschool self. While it could be embarrassing for Kagami who felt like he hadn't grown up even a bit, it could also get adorable too. Just like this exact moment.

"Why're you looking at me like that?" He frowned which didn't help his case. The little furrow on his brow that used to bother Kagami now only made him snort. Aomine looked a lot more like... well, like _Aomine_.

There was only one way to respond. The redhead landed a kiss on the crinkled forehead and muttered a: "Just sleep."

"Whatever. Weirdo." Aomine rolled his eyes before shifting and turning away from his boyfriend. Of course, that didn't mean they would sleep the night contactless. In fact, Aomine was the clingiest teddy bear when the moon was up. It was always like that in the past too. Like there was something about the night that never ceased to make him a lot more vulnerable. It was around this time that he needed all the validation he could get as if he needed to let his walls down so he could keep up that cocky bad boy persona throughout the day.

Naturally, Kagami scooted closer towards his boyfriend and wrapped his arms around him. He rubbed his forehead and red hair into the dark neck, making Aomine laugh. He had always been ticklish there.

"Get off me, dickhead!" Said the athlete, still cracking up.

"Nope." Kagami smiled and nibbled the curve of his neck. "Never." He then tightened his grip around Aomine while loving how even though so many years had passed, the bluehead was still the lither between them. His muscles mass had increased, but instead of bulging, they were so dense and much tauter than Kagami's. Didn't make this little bit of victory sweet, though. He loved the way Aomine slotted so perfectly in his arms.

.

"Tai."

"Daiki... it's..." He squinted and looked at the dimly lit digital clock on the nightstand. "It's 2:42... get the fuck to sleep."

"Yeah, but have you heard about the witching hour?"

"Sleep."

"You're no fun." The taller scoffed.

"Sleep."

"Yeah, dad."

"That's _daddy_ to you."

"Shut the hell up." Aomine snorted. His shoulders shook in Kagami's arms. "Daddy."

"Using vulgar language to your daddy? You're being a bad boy, Daiki." The redhead smirked before teasingly nibbling on the shell of Aomine's ear.

"What, is daddy gonna punish me?" And he topped it off with rubbing his ass against Kagami's groin, making him groan.

"Not now. Maybe tomorrow. Sleep now." He then pulled Aomine closer into his chest. "Love you, Daiki."

"Mm," Aomine closed his eyes. They wouldn't open again until the morning came. Being wrapped in Kagami's embrace had always been so soothing like nothing would ever hurt him. "Love you too, Taiga."

And they slept soundly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys~ thanks for waiting. The past few weeks have been truly awful for me and I couldn't find the strength to write (in case you didn't know, I also work a 9-5 job on top)  
> I can't promise a regular weekly update, but I'll try my best! Thanks for reading :)
> 
> Also, yes, the NBA2K curse is really a thing and I think it's really funny


	38. Unyielding Chemistry

_"And that's it, folks! With 39-43, the Timberwolves failed to secure their spot in this year's playoffs. What an upset by the team that has come so close to the championship four years in a row."_

.

They stood before their televisions in disbelief upon seeing the outcome of the match. 112-117. 72 of those points were Aomine's yet they still lost. It was the ace's career-high double-double with 15 rebounds along with 9 steals. Aomine was on fire the entire match. He went into the zone and from there on, it was his game.

Honestly, it was extremely unnerving.

It was only Kuroko and Aomine, just like those days in Teiko and it frightened everyone. It was like some fucked up déjà vu that no one really wanted to relive. Aomine was steely cold for the entirety of the match. Gone was the light in his eyes. Even Kuroko refused to look at his friend after everything was over. Because the phantom, too, could tell that this was not okay.

The boys who were in a conference call together fell quiet. No one spoke until Kise broke the silence.

"W-well, let's call Aominecchi, okay? Let's hope he's okay."

"He won't be." Midorima sighed. Next to him was his girlfriend who was also frowning at the screen with a small pout on her lips. It was obvious that she was disappointed too at the outcome.

Akashi hummed in agreement. "Knowing Aomine, he will be extremely upset. It's best if we leave him alone for now. Let's trust Kuroko to handle him."

"But Kurokocchi..." Kise's expression fell at the mention of Aomine's close friend. "It might make him remember stuff he doesn't really want to..."

"Taiga is there watching his game. He'll do something about it, somehow." Himuro said while he traced comforting little circles on the back of Murasakibara's hand. "It's a shame that he lost, but this time, it wasn't his fault. He did everything he could."

_"Utah Jazz will be the seventh seed, coming into the playoff. What a day this must be for Jazz's Hakim who had to go head-to-head with his close friend, Daiki in the Timberwolves."_

.

Objects clattered onto the ground after a body was thrown against the locker. There was a loud gasp as everyone ran towards the two men in order to pry them apart.

"Play seriously, asshole!" Aomine growled, voice fuelled with hostility that many were unfamiliar with. "I don't give a shit how much you hate me, but your attitude cost us fucking winnable games! We lost ten times in a row because of you, shithead!"

"Always thinking you're so damn good. The world doesn't revolve around you, Daiki." The veteran player traded from Houston Rockets yelled out as he spat on the ground.

"Well, who was it who scored 72 points? Not you. It's _me_. I'm _good_ , you're not."

"Dai-chan, please!" Satsuki rushed towards the group and slipped her body between the two men. There was dismay on her face as she tried hard to calm her childhood friend down.

"Move, Satsuki! Let me teach this arrogant asshole a lesson. We've been doing just fine until he comes along."

"Aomine-kun, fighting will not solve anything. Let's all cool down and discuss what went wrong so we can fix it next year." Said Kuroko as he helped his fiance to separate the two athletes who had been at odds since the moment they stood on the same court together this season. The team rebuild obviously had not done wonders.

"Next year. Next year?" The blunette threw his head back in shock before he jabbed his fingers towards the other player. "I'm not gonna play with this incompetent dick again next year!"

"Yeah, great. Because there's only one spot for one star player in this team. If you don't wanna cooperate, then—"

Aomine interrupted the speech by kicking a foldable chair into the wall, surprising everyone in the room. "We were doing so great. I don't understand why that stupid coach would fucking kick out half the team. The most important people who kept us going. What we needed was a bit of a push, not a fucking rebuild that does more damage than good." It was all spoken in low, quiet and frustrated Japanese. "I seriously don't get the upper management. What a bunch of useless trash."

"Aomine-kun, don't be so negative. We can fix this. Teamwork isn't something that comes easily, especially for you." Kuroko approached his friend, still on guard in case Aomine did anything reckless. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder after a while and spoke, also in Japanese. "I know that this team has not nurtured your potential in terms of team play, but that doesn't mean you complete throw it out of the window. Now more than ever, you need to show that you're capable of more."

"Tetsu, you've seen this team." Aomine scowled, gesturing wildly with both hands. "Stuck up assholes, clueless rookies, individualistic jerks who don't want other people to steal their thunder. You might be okay being here since you're a playmaker, but me?" He laughed mockingly. "I can't. I can't play with so many scorers at once. The team is _imbalanced_. The upper management really screwed everything up."

Seeing how aggravated his friend was, Kuroko merely deflated. He didn't want to cause more drama than there already was, so he relented. "I understand." He said. "Please calm down for now, Aomine-kun. Let's talk about this later."

"Yeah. Whatever." Stuffing both hands in his pocket, the bluehead walked out of the door with heavy footsteps and leaving behind a room clouded with tension. Kuroko had a way with words. He'd handle it.

Some fresh air would be nice after whatever the hell just happened the past few months. He definitely wasn't expecting their new coach to be a bumbling buffoon who had no idea how to build a team. The guy thought that he could just throw in a lot of scorers in a team and call it a day, but that really wasn't how it should work. Instead of helping, everything was now in shambles.

"Yo, dude." Came a voice the moment he turned the corner. Hakim stood there in his Utah Jazz hoodie and he was scratching his head. "Good game. Really."

"Yeah." Aomine kicked the ground. "Stupid team..."

"It made me cringe too, watching you. And Jay too, I'm sure." He started. "All of us wish we were playing with you, but..."

"Not your fault. New coach is so incompetent. I mean, trading so many pieces away? Seriously... what did he think was gonna happen? I'm glad that I only signed for one season. I don't think I can deal with another year with all the infighting and politics."

The bulkier male nodded, but he sighed a few moments after that. "Before Aiden left, he told us that we've been too complacent. Like we were used to losing, so we never really gave it our all. I know you said that a few years ago, but I never really took you seriously. None of us did. I just wanna say that I do feel kinda bad."

Aomine furrowed his brow. "It's all in the past now. And look at you now, playing harder than you ever did with me." He grinned and slapped his friend's shoulder. It was replied with hearty laughter that made Aomine really wish that Aiden hadn't been fired. Then they'd all still be playing together.

He met Kagami near the airport for the first flight back to LA. The redhead had this gentle look on his face as he pulled Aomine into a warm, tight embrace that he didn't want to pull away from. He stayed there inhaling his boyfriend's scent and revelling in the way Kagami's palm rubbed his back soothingly up and down.

"You played well." He whispered. "I'm so damn proud of you, Daiki."

And that made Aomine let out a relieved snort. He nuzzled his nose deeper into Kagami's nose before both pulled away, fully aware of the sting in his eyes.

Seeing the mellow look, the shorter caressed his lover's cheek. No words had to be said. Both of them knew full well how hard this loss was. Missing a playoff meant it was the end of the season. They could only watch as the others fought it out, all while wishing they were there.

"C'mon," He gripped Aomine's hands tightly. "We'll miss our flight."

.

The deadline for the free agency and trades was quickly approaching. For some, it was only a matter of resigning while others sought out better contracts for a ridiculous amount of money. This was when things were the most intense. Coaches fought over wanted players and deals were made as everyone tried to build a championship team.

After missing out on another Championship, the Lakers were no different. They had once again came close to the trophy but failed to take it home. And with McClain's retirement coming soon, they had to do something. _Fast._

The Lakers' coach, Chris flicked through the list of players in the free agency. There were some great names, but as always, whether or not they would play well with the team was always unclear. With a couple more months to go, he must make a decision.

The name Aomine Daiki wasn't an unexpected addition to the list. Everyone knew just how upset he had been throughout the entire season. He wasn't traded by the Wolves, which meant that they still hoped that the bluenette would sign the contract for another year. Didn't look like he would, though.

He was practically drowning in offers at the moment. Most of the teams were fighting over him and were trying their hardest to convince the 27 years old star player to join them. Chris hadn't offered him one because he wasn't sure how well he'd play with Kagami. Just because they were lovers didn't mean they'd have a good chemistry on-court.

So he turned off his laptop and walked out of his office to the nearest bar. It was already 4 in the evening and he was meeting a player to discuss some offers later.

It all went smoothly but judging from the player's expression, his offer must've been too small. By the time everything was said and done, it was already 6 PM. He considered getting a few more rounds just to relieve some stress, but he spotted some familiar faces lingering outside.

Aomine and Kagami. They were bantering while playfully shoving each other as they got off Aomine's Harley Davidson Iron 1200. With them were a few of the other Japs, namely Kuroko with his newly announced fiance and also Himuro and Murasakibara. The duo that defeated them in this year's championship. They got two championship rings already in the Raptors.

What caught his eyes wasn't his company, though. It was Aomine playing with his helmet as if it was a basketball. He rolled it on his back, threw it up in the air and caught it again. There was no denying how enchanting the blunette's playstyle was.

Kagami said something to him as he turned his back towards Aomine to rummage in his pocket and Aomine, he rolled his eyes before throwing the helmet behind his back only for Kagami to wordlessly catch it. It was startling because neither men even looked at the object being passed. While the redhead put the helmet back to the handlebars, he also threw a set of keys that Aomine easily snatched mid-air as if knowing exactly the trajectory and the speed in which Kagami would pass it.

 _That_ was something. Definitely not one that would pass Chris by. 

"Coach!" Kagami quickly noticed him when the group finally entered the bar.

"Hey." He waved at his future star player. "Unwinding a little, Tai?"

"Something like that. Haven't caught up with my friends in a while, so." He motioned at everyone else and they exchanged greetings.

"Oi, Taiga!" Aomine yelled out from the entrance, taking his boyfriend's attention. "Key!" He lobbed the item above the sea of bodies right into Kagami's waiting hand. The redhead didn't even have to jump or move a step which was either a coincidence or...

They decided to spend the next hour or so chatting about anything and everything over some glasses of alcohol. Sometime during the night, Chris turned towards Kagami with a scheming smile.

"Say, Taiga. You usually play with Daiki, right?"

"Yeah. Like, every day." He cracked a grin that everyone in the team found extremely endearing. It was always so genuine and warm like being blanketed by the morning sun. That was probably why everyone liked to spoil Kagami. Oh, not to mention all those homemade snacks he'd sometimes bring into practice.

"Hm... when's your next one-on-one?" He asked, keeping his tone casual. The question was then replied with details about their usual street court and the approximate time that he immediately committed into memory. He might have one thing or two that he wanted to ascertain.

.

Sweat glistening on their skins, pearly white teeth exposed in a menacing, predatory grin and eyes burning with intensity. That was what fans would describe the NBA2K cover featuring the most talked-about rivals of late, Aomine and Kagami. In it, they faced each other. Aomine was dribbling the ball under his legs and Kagami had his arms wide open in his attempt to defend the other power forward. Even if it was a photoshoot, everyone could tell how much fun the two was having. After all, that was the message they wanted to scream out loud and clear. Basketball was about fun. It was never about the money or glory.

Watching the two rivals growing into their superstar status had been nothing short of enchanting. Each time they met at the court, it was always with guns blazing. Everyone could trust them to make things unbelievably entertaining, hence why whenever the Lakers and Wolves were to go head-to-head, the seats were always all sold out. Even the non-fans came along to watch these two crazy athletes battling it out.

Of course, they weren't selling the other boys short. They were amazing in their own rights too, and Kuroko's chemistry with Aomine's had been impressive. They could stand toe-to-toe against Murasakibara and Himuro and even won against them at some point. Midorima helped paved way for his team to the championship and Akashi, once. However, none of them was as electric to watch as the red and blue.

Right now, Chris watched as the lovers went two-on-two against some of the Lakers bench. It was all a ploy for him to see how exactly Aomine and Kagami play with each other. The entire time, he had his mouth hung wide open. They cut through the court like a well-oiled machine. While Aomine wasn't known to be the one to share the ball, he surprisingly made plenty of impressive passes without even looking at his teammate.

"Breathtaking, right?" Came a feminine voice from behind him. When he turned around, he was met with Kuroko and Satsuki who settled next to him on the bench.

"Why aren't they in the same team?" The coach narrowed his eyes as he observed the game once more just in time to see one of Kagami's insane jumps.

"They've always been such idiots. Always overthinking and dancing around each other, so it's not a surprise to not see them on the same side of the court." She giggled. "I mean, it took them nine years to admit that they like each other."

There was a short silence before Chris' eyes snapped wide open. "Nine years?" He breathed out. "So is the rumour true?"

"We've all kept it a secret but I don't think it will remain that way for much longer." Kuroko answered flatly. "But yes, all of us were friends and rivals back in high school. Himuro-kun and Murasakibara-kun were both teammates, but there was always one pair that bested them." When Aomine lobbed the ball in the air for Kagami to catch just like the old days, he found himself smiling. "No one could reach the height they could."

"That's..." Chris deflated as he chuckled. "That's impressive. I mean, we've always had our suspicions. You're all the same age, same nationality and appeared out of nowhere, but I suppose we chalked all of it as a conspiracy theory because what are the chances?"

He recalled the media coverage on these athletes just last week. It went through the leaked footage of the Raptors duo playing together wearing their white and purple uniform. From there on, it blew up into speculations that all the Japanese were somehow involved back then. There were sceptics, but there were many believers too. Unfortunately, high school basketball in Japan wasn't well-documented, so any evidence was difficult to come by.

"But why keep it a secret?" He decided to ask.

Kuroko shrugged. "I suppose no one wanted the attention."

"You and Daiki... were you two teammates too?"

The lithe male nodded.

"No wonder. The chemistry you have with him isn't something that comes out of nowhere. I thought something was fishy." He laughed. "But I hope you don't mind that I try to steal your partner away from you."

"It's inevitable." Kuroko commented while they once again focused on the streetball match. "As much as I love Aomine-kun, the current team isn't one that he'd get along with. There is a power imbalance that needs to be fixed and it's something that will take some time to mend."

"Besides, I do want to see him winning a championship. And Kagamin too. It will mean a lot for them if they climb to the top together." Satsuki smiled tenderly as she revelled in the memory of the two boys lifting up the nationals trophy together.

The game was over. No one was keeping score, but judging from the way Aomine and Kagami grinned, it was safe to assume that they won. The two high-fived each other before they went back to their bench to rehydrate.

_Pass me that thing._

Without even looking, the redhead threw a water bottle at Aomine.

 _Uh, that as well._ The blunette motioned roughly at the direction of his duffel bag. Kagami dug into it and chucked him his towel from behind his back.

It never ceased to impress Satsuki just how well they understood each other.

.

"Heeh... Sa-chin said that to you?" Murasakibara yawned into his pillow. Currently, he was watching a recording of a football match with Himuro who was busy on his phone.

"Yeah. What do you think?"

"I don't mind." The purple-haired athlete drawled as lazily as ever but there was a tinge of excitement in his tone.

"Okay, then I'll tell her. The wedding is in three months, so let's make sure our schedule is clear." After pressing send, Himuro put down his device and snuggled his fiance.

Just a few minutes ago, he got off the phone with Satsuki who asked if it was okay to celebrate the two men's wedding too along with theirs. Of course, it'd be kept low-key, but she said it didn't feel right to not have a proper celebration. Although Himuro was content to tie it quietly, the idea of spending wilder time with the strange bunch he called friends was quite tempting too.

To be honest, he was surprised that they managed to keep their relationship a secret from the public for so long. He could only hope that everything would remain that way. Not that he was ashamed of it, of course. Far from it.

They planned to take their time with it. In secret, they signed their marriage contract and sealed it with a kiss. However, time had a way with people. It flew by everyone, even the most astute. So, before they knew it, it was already July and the ceremony was just around the corner. It was also around that time that Chris finally sat down with both Kagami and Aomine to discuss a possible contract.

Both boys seemed amazed at the sudden offer. They stared at each other in disbelief, not even comprehending the amount of money being written down. All they heard was the possibility of playing together once more. He relished in their rivalry of going head-to-head. Kagami was always so spunky and full of energy, Aomine would never tire of it. However, this was something that they also wanted, deep down. Because who were they kidding? They grew so inseparable like this because they played together, in the first place. There would never be a Kagami and Aomine without that fact.

"I know you're getting a lot of offers right now and you have many, _many_ options to consider, but I implore you to think this through, Daiki. I've seen what you can do with Taiga and I'm certain with your combined power, we'll be able to win next season. Wouldn't you rather work with someone you know you get along with?"

The two continued staring at each other. It was obvious that no one expected this.

"But," Aomine stammered, still in complete disbelief. "But why? Why me?"

Chris laughed at the befuddled look. "Because I've seen what you two can do and I want to make the most out of it. Daiki, I know you can do much more than just scoring. The Timberwolves haven't fully developed your potential, so please allow us to."

"Do it." Kagami grinned. Under the table, his hands touched his boyfriend's. "It'll be like the old days." He said in Japanese. "It's been 9 years since we've last played on the same team. I miss the rush." The last sentence was added tentatively, quietly.

Aomine nodded. Playing with Kuroko was always a joy, but no one could ever replace Kagami as his best partner. Three years of fighting, arguing and making up in high school made them understood each other inside out. They sat here right now all because fate was kind enough to draw them together. If they were given the chance to relive everything, they'd do it all over again without changing a thing about it.

Tightening his grip on Kagami's hand, he was never more certain of it. He had made many poor decisions in the past, but this wouldn't be one of them. Even someone as daft as Aomine could say that with absolute confidence.

"Yeah," He let out a wide, toothy smile. "Show me the contract."

.

The guest list was already out of hand, but this was beyond what Kuroko expected.

He trusted Satsuki to handle it and she proposed that they should bring some of their high school friends here too. Since Kuroko was earning too much money he didn't know what to use for, they decided to cover the flight tickets for the ones they did invite from Japan. Of course, their parents were invited. With them were people from Seirin, Touou and some from the other teams like Kasamatsu, Takao and the Rakuzan boys.

As for the venue, they chose a five-star hotel in the heart of Los Angeles along with eight-course fine dining menu, all because Satsuki insisted that she wanted it to be the best, most memorable day ever. While Kuroko wouldn't mind a small celebration, seeing his fiance's smile was worth it.

The preparation took months. Satsuki scoured the entire country for the best, most glamorous wedding dress ever. It didn't necessarily have to be expensive, but she wanted it to make her look absolutely stunning. After all, it was her special day with her beloved. She wanted to make sure Kuroko saw her at her best. She finally decided on a baby pink strapless dress that transitioned to pure white the lower it went. Around her chest were glitter and beads of pearls gleaming and a large fabric red rose right in the centre.

With Aomine dressed nicely in expensive, branded suit as her man of honour, she was ready. Currently, the blunette had a small smile on his face as he laid his eyes on his sister. She looked gorgeous.

"Dai-chan!" She wanted to walk but decided not to since she'd probably trip over her gown. Instead, he approached her and procured something from his pocket.

It was a small box containing gold hairpin with pink leaves curling over the top and a piece of ruby attached to a silver chain.

Satsuki gasped at the sight and she looked at Aomine who took it out of the packaging and clipped it to the right side of her side-fringe. "It's gorgeous..." She ran her fingers over it when she turned towards the large mirror. "Thank you."

"Yeah." He let out a breath. "I can't believe you're really getting married." With his heart strangely aflutter, Aomine pulled his lifelong friend into a hug and placed his lips against her forehead gently.

"Me too. I'm the luckiest girl ever." She grinned. There were no words to describe her overflowing emotion. 

Not a moment to soon, the door was opened to reveal her parents, also dressed nicely in their own attire. 

"Are you ready, Satsu dear?" Kojiro asked since Kiyoko was too busy trying to not cry at the sight of their beautiful daughter. When the question was met with an enthusiastic nod, they knew everything was now in order.

.

Contrary to the popular beliefs, Kuroko was actually damn nervous for the ceremony. No one else saw it and he didn't say it out loud, but as the best man, Kagami could tell. The sixth man was a lot more fidgety than usual and his hand kept finding its way to his tie where he tried to adjust it even though it wasn't crooked.

"You'll be fine. You're making me nervous too now." Quipped the redhead.

"Kagami-kun just doesn't understand." He sighed. "You'll see when you'll marry Aomine-kun. This is not as easy as it looks."

"M-marry!? Aren't you jumping the gun a bit!?" He flailed, but it wasn't replied with sass. Instead, Kuroko exhaled again. "You must really love her, huh?"

"Of course. I wouldn't be here if I don't." Kuroko jabbed quietly, making Kagami grunt.

"Don't think too much about it. Nothing will go wrong." He lightly tapped the shorter male's shoulder. "C'mon, it's starting soon. Your parents are waiting for you outside."

"Yes. Let's." With one last deep inhale, Kuroko checked himself once more in front of the mirror, then turned towards the door.

"Oi," His friend called. Their eyes then met and Kagami gave him a smile. "Everything will be fine." He put an arm around Kuroko's neck and walked outside with him in a playful headlock. "You look dashing and Satsuki will definitely look crazy good too. Enjoy tonight. It's for you two, after all."

There really was something special about Kagami. He was so warm and his existence alone sometimes was enough to soothe even the most agitated. Perhaps it was how sincere his voice was, but again, Kuroko already knew that. That was why they got along anyway. Kagami truly reminded him of Aomine. They might not show that they care, but they were the type to prioritise friends above all else.

"I see that Kagami-kun can be useful too." He mused.

"The hell, dude!?"

.

The party was a huge success. Some specific reporters were invited and throughout the day, everyone saw them making rounds and interviewing everyone they could lay a hand on. No one could deny what a picture-perfect couple Satsuki and Kuroko were, though. There was a huge wedding cake in the middle that they cut earlier and currently, the bride and groom were dancing.

Aomine was stuffing his mouth full of expensive liquor in a drinking game with Wakamatsu and Susa while Kagami gorged on some snacks the waiters carried around. Imayoshi and Sakurai, too, could be spotted getting chummy with their old rivals from Kaijo and the likes. Aside from them, he saw many familiar faces too like Aomine's dad, the old Timberwolves gang and apparently Grady was invited too.

They talked for a bit to discuss how Grady was settling in in his new team, Portland Trailblazer. It had been a while since they met up, but the friendship was still there. Kagami couldn't express enough how grateful he was of this man. Had it not been for him, he would've given up on basketball long ago.

The second, more discreet couple of the night was there too in the corner of the room chatting with the rest of the Miracles. Honestly, Kagami was still in awe at how tight-lipped they were. If he didn't know any better, he would never have guessed that they were now husbands.

"Taiga!" Wakamatsu called him from their table. The platinum-blond male waved his hand eagerly as he pointed at Aomine who was already passed out. "I think we killed Daiki! Help!"

"Ugh." Kagami rolled his eyes while Grady only laughed.

"Go get him. Can't have your honey dying now." His ex-teammate elbowed him playfully.

"A damn handful that's what he is..." Despite that, there was an obvious flush on his cheeks that wasn't caused by the alcohol. "Anyway, I'm going now. I'll see you later, okay?"

The party was still young, Kagami thought as he paced towards the table of the Touou alumnus. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter this time! We're finally nearing the end, huh? I really don't wanna stretch this more than I have to.  
> Anyway, my update might be irregular now due to other commitments. I'll try doing weekly but no promises...  
> Hope you enjoyed!


	39. Cheers to Today (And Many More)

"Over there. Yeah. No, wait! Not there, stupid! Your other left!"

"That's not left, idiot. That's right!"

Kagami dropped the coffee table he had lugged from the truck to the designated spot while he glared at his boyfriend. "Why are you telling me what to do? You're not an interior designer."

"Like you're any better. Just do it." The blunette said as he placed a sealed cardboard box next to many others. This one was marked "CLOTHES" with a black sharpie. "Okay, the movers should already have the bedroom ready. I think the fridge is coming soon." Aomine took his phone out to check for new messages that, sure enough, was there.

Populating the rooms as per instruction was easier said than done. Even with all the help, they could barely get it done in time for dinner. Even by then, it still looked a bit sloppy. The men were scheduled to come again tomorrow to finish off the second bedroom and backyard.

Kagami and Aomine lied on their brand new leather couch after a long, sweaty day of running back and forth. Moving really wasn't as easy as they thought, especially when they made an ultimatum for everyone to not give them a hand. They wanted to do this themselves and honestly, they didn't regret it a single bit.

"Hah..." Aomine sighed but not without chuckling. "So... we're gonna break it in or what?"

Kagami retorted with a snort. "Gross. Shower first... I feel so yucky." 

"Shower sex?"

The redhead rolled his eyes and said nothing except forcing himself up with a grunt. That didn't stop Aomine from following his lover with a spring in his step, though. This marked yet another milestone in his life. Moving into a lavish house he purchased with his own hard-earned money. With the love of his life, no less. Life couldn't get any better than this.

It was a two-storey contemporary dwelling with a guest room, master bedroom, Aomine's mancave, state-of-the-art kitchen, warm living room with a fireplace and a large curved LED TV mounted on the wall plus a hot tub on the back near the patio. It was the perfect place to party, hence why they invited their close friends for a housewarming.

Aside from the Miracles, Kagami and Aomine also had their some of their teammates over. Overall, they had around twenty people over and Kagami gladly made some snacks for everyone. Kuroko was nice enough to tell Satsuki to stay put and not to bring anything except for some chocolates and expensive saucepans for Kagami as gifts.

It was quite a day. Their Twitter feed exploded with short videos and drunken posts that Kise would definitely regret the next day. Thankfully, his girlfriend was there to make sure her boyfriend didn't die. The hot tub could accommodate eight people at once, so the friend group decided to hop in with their glasses of wines, champagnes or cold beers that they raised.

May it be another great year.

.

This regular season was different than before. The Timberwolves lost their star player and the said star player went and join his sweetheart on the Lakers. As per usual, many fans rushed to discuss the topic. Some expressed their scepticism but others were curious to see what the hell that trade was all about. There was no room for two franchise players in the same team. One of them would inevitably take the spot as the second man.

No one could, for the life of them, figure out whom between the two would be willing to sacrifice their ball-handling time. After all, Kagami and Aomine had always been so ferocious. Once they had the ball, it usually stayed with them unless their hands were forced. They had all the making of a superstar, so it raised some eyebrows that they suddenly decided to play on the same team.

It was a well-known fact that two friends wouldn't necessarily make a good teammate. What if their relationship contributed negatively to their chemistry?

However, there was not a shadow of a doubt for the Lakers players that these two would bring them to that championship trophy. It had been a good few years since they last had the honour of being the last men standing.

Before a match, Kagami was usually restless. He'd jog on the spot, do some stretching and occasionally fiddle on his phone, no doubt texting his boyfriend. However right now, he was all but that. He was strangely tranquil. All he did was sit together with Aomine and they quietly discussed something in Japanese. It was quiet but their words were firm.

"You think they got stage fright?" One of the boys nudged his friend.

"We'll see, I guess." Though judging by how calm they were, no one ever doubted them for a second.

.

When they were mere teenagers, the bright white light of a real stadium was something so alien; so far away from their reach. They played without paying it any mind. They played because it made them feel alive; because it ran in their veins and because it made them feel like the entire world was theirs. It didn't matter who was or was not watching. As long as there was someone standing between them and the ring, they'd fight.

But right now, they didn't think they could live without it.

It was no longer an excuse for them to polish their competitive edge, but an addiction. There was basketball. And there was basketball with hundreds of animated audiences cheering them on. In short, the sport couldn't get any better than this. They had the glory, the formidable opponents and the all-or-nothing situation. What else could they want?

Ah, yes. Each other's presence. Not just a one-off thing across the court, but a constant one that they could only get by playing together. That was what they had been missing.

But now that all the pieces were finally together, there was nothing that stopped them from making the most out of it. The time they spent apart made them realise that they needed the other's presence to truly feel complete. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, indeed.

"You still remember how to play, right Bakagami?"

"Who do you think you're talking to," He cracked a half-grin half-smirk. "I'm your rival. The first one to keep up with you."

"Yeah, yeah." He shoved his partner to his spot as a small forward. The very same one as his idol, Michael Jordan. "Just shut up and play."

The tip-off was no different than usual. Their centre's hand made contact with the ball first to kickstart the game. However, what followed was different.

Aomine was the first to touch the ball. By this point, the entire world already knew what this man was capable of. Naturally, all eyes were drawn to him as he wasn't known as someone who liked to share the spotlight.

His steps were confident, his movements so trained that there was never a doubt in anyone's minds that he was here to make his point clear: that he was a star. This man had gone so far from the late comer of twenty-one years old who had one of the skinniest figures in the league. Right now, he had the body of an athlete. Still lean, yet muscular in all the right places.

Aomine dashed diagonally as opposed to straight towards the ring. However, just as he almost met the outside line, he sprinted the other way in such an insane burst of speed, everyone couldn't help but follow him.

However, they were baffled when they heard the whistle signalling the first score of the game. When everyone turned towards Aomine, they noticed that the power forward wasn't even holding the ball.

Under the ring stood Kagami along with the ball dropping towards the ground. At some point, the blunette had passed the basketball backwards towards his new teammate. With all the players' attention on him, the redhead was free to do as he pleased. And boy did he run with it.

There was a delayed two seconds before the audiences realised what just happened, but when they did, they lapped it up. The commentators were laughing in mirth in their booth after seeing the two athletes loud proclamation that they were here to play. Aomine and Kagami simply exchanged a high-five from the hip before they ran back towards their position for the turnover. 

What happened after that was nothing short of masterpiece. History was being created in that stadium where every point scored on the back of the two Japanese players only ascertained their spot as one of the deadliest combinations in the history of NBA. It wasn't always flashy, but it mesmerising all the same. Most of it was because how sceptical everyone was in the beginning of the game, but most of it was because they were _that_ good.

They played in a way that neither was delegated as the second man. Somehow, they both managed to shine together brighter than ever. With the masterful support of their teams who threaded the needle to get them enough space to operate, their opponent that day stood no chance. Coming into the fourth quarter, they led by a sizeable 35 points and both Kagami and Aomine showed no sign of stopping. It didn't help that their stamina had always been acclaimed. Right now, they were just two feral animals ready to pounce on the nearest unsuspecting prey.

"You two!" Chris slapped the back of their heads when he realised they weren't listening at all. "I said that's enough. You're finished for the night."

"Huh!?" Both men furrowed his brows to create the exact same expression before they said a defensive: "but why?" at the same time.

"This is the first game. We don't want to overwork your body and risk any injuries. You're overworking yourselves as is."

"But—"

"Taiga!" He crossed his arms disapprovingly, stiffening the redhead. "Trust everyone. They have never let us down, have they?"

He curled his lips cutely in a pout. "No, sir..."

"Seriously, I feel like I'm talking to a kid. Just sit down and relax. Your job's done. You too, Daiki." He grabbed two black t-shirts and lobbed the objects at his boys who begrudgingly put them on.

"How did we do?" The dark-skinned male grinned as he wiped his sweat.

Chris snorted before he gestured at the positively excited crowd behind them. Men, women and children alike cooed their names and waved in their direction while pointing their phones. "I dunno. You tell me, hotshots." He slapped Aomine's shoulder. "But seriously. You two need to learn how to hold back. I'll get you in touch with the best PT I know. Don't want to retire early because of some lame injuries, right?"

"No, sir!" Kagami chimed in. Before NBA, he didn't know just how important pacing himself was. He gotta say that even though he was slowly learning, he still made the same mistake sometimes. 

"Your body's your temple, yeah?" Their teammates tossed a water bottle in their direction. "Oh, D." He turned to Aomine. "I heard TK got hurt."

"What?" Both men widened their eyes.

"Got bodied. Real nasty. Check your Twitter feed."

Despite not liking opening his phone during a game, Aomine scrambled to find the device and once he got it in his hands, he went straight to the ESPN account. "...Shit."

Kagami peeked over his shoulder and his brows furrowed. "5'8 Tetsuya fell unconscious after a direct contact with 6'8 Morris." Attached with it was a picture of Kuroko being carted away by a couple of paramedics. There was blood on the floor that uneased both men.

"Coach, I'll be back." Aomine shot right to his feet and ran out of the match area before even hearing a single word in response.

"Me too!" Kagami went straight after Aomine who already had his phone against his ear, no doubt calling Satsuki.

.

"What did I tell you about forcing fouls, Kurokocchi! You could've died!" Kise wailed dramatically through the conference call with some other Miracles.

"I must say that I've always thought it's quite the burden to put on you." Midorima adjusted his glasses. "But I'm sure you understood the ramification of wearing that mantle."

Kuroko, who was cleared to go a couple of minutes ago, rubbed his head with Satsuki constantly doting him in the background. "Yes. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't have taken the charge but we only had a few seconds left."

"Was it worth it?" Kagami grumbled through the phone while Aomine nodded in the background. "You could've seriously hurt yourself. This is only the first game. You can take the loss and turn it over the next!"

Instead of responding, everyone fell silent.

The first to laugh was Himuro.

"Who are you and what have you done to Taiga?" He teased while everyone shook their heads affectionately. "Never thought I'd live to see the day that you prioritise your health above wins."

"H-hey!" The redhead's turned pinkish at the jab. "Well... if I get hurt then I won't be able to play in the next game, so..."

"Kagamin's all grown up! On the other hand, Tetsu-kun, I am _so_ disappointed in you. You were lucky you didn't get elbowed, but he weighs like 110 kg! Can you imagine what would've happened had he fell right on top of you?" The pinkette nagged once more.

"Yes... I've already apologised."

"But an apology isn't enough!" And she continued to scold Kuroko in the background while the rest of the miracles only rolled their eyes.

"I wonder who among us will retire first. None of us has suffered major injuries, after all." Said Akashi.

"Well, I wanna play as long as I can. And I'm sure Daiki too." Kagami proudly announced. "In fact, I'll definitely play longer than he will."

"Heh?" The blunette slapped the back of Kagami's head. "Says who? With the way you jump around, you'll probably ruin your Achilles."

"Yeah? You'll tear your ACL, you freak."

With another pair now arguing, everyone else sighed and continued the conversation amongst themselves.

"I'm thinking of opening a pastry shop." Murasakibara yawned. There was still traces of chocolate around his lips. "Basketball with Muro-chin is fun and all but it's so tiring... I want a day off."

"Thanks for doing it for me, Atsushi. It means a lot." The dark-haired male rubbed his husband's hair. "So, any of you getting married soon?"

Everyone only laughed awkwardly at that. No words seemed to have been uttered from Akashi regarding his love life, though. So naturally, everyone stared at his image in the conference call. "So... Akashicchi?"

"Ah, me?" He chuckled. "I'd hate to ruin the party, but I have no intention to form any relationship."

"You're asexual?" Midorima raised his eyebrows.

"I suppose." He replied with a casual yet graceful shrug which only provoked curious questions from everyone listening.

Thankfully, the day passed by without any more incidents. Everyone got home safe and sound, ready for their next match. Aomine and Kagami included. They lounged around in their private gym doing light exercises that would keep their muscles warm for tomorrow's practice.

"You've really grown some muscles, huh?" Kagami traced a finger over the bumps on Aomine's biceps.

"Well, I damn well hope so." The blunette placed the dumbells on the ground before going in for a peck. The gentle contact soon turned into something more heated the moment Aomine ghosted his lips along Kagami's jaw and latching onto his neck. They were slightly sweaty, but the saltiness only heated Aomine up even more. There was something seductive about the taste.

"Fuck." Kagami gasped, both of his hands now grasping on Aomine's silky blue hair. He'd be lying if he didn't see this coming. Playing basketball against or with each other always made them feel so hungry. Perhaps it was the way they were absolutely enamoured by the other's movements, or maybe it was how seamlessly they melded into each other in the court. Their game together always felt like an intense foreplay that they couldn't get enough of.

They tangled their tongues in a passionate kiss as Aomine stood up and sat Kagami down on their bicep curl weight machine. The back was stiff and upright, which made it easier for Aomine to pin his boyfriend down.

In the middle of it, he chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Slightly annoyed at the sudden change in mood, the redhead frowned.

"Nothing, it's just..." His eyes mellowed out. "I never thought that I'd come this far, you know? I was just a depressed piece of shit back then, but now..." He sighed. "Anyway, I didn't mean to ruin the mood. I guess I still can't believe it."

"I get that!" Kagami cut in. "I totally get that. I didn't think I'd be here as well... with you. I thought _we_ ended when I left."

The blunette saw the vulnerability in Kagami's eyes and he cupped his cheek so their eyes could once again meet. "I always thought about you. When I played with my streetball friends, when I played with the Rockers. It was always so I could catch up to you. Thinking back to it, it was dumb of me to never properly reciprocate your feelings. I knew deep down that I always liked you, but I was too scared to do anything about it."

There was a small pout on Aomine's lips that Kagami always found adorable. That along with the heartfelt confession made him feel like everything was right in the world. "At least we made it."

"Yeah." The corner of his lips tugged into a lopsided smile. "Anyway, where were we?" With a grin, Aomine crashed their lips together once more and not for the last time that night.

.

 _"Okay, listen. I don't think anyone could've predicted_ that _kind of bullshit. Whatever they did there, it was crazy. It was off the charts! I mean, I don't think we've seen this since like, LeBron and Wade. I dunno, Steph and Klay. This is huge W for the Lakers."_

"You heard that, Taiga? Everyone's impressed." Wakamatsu puffed out his chest even though it wasn't him that was being complimented by literally everyone on YouTube.

 _"Stop that, it's embarrassing."_ The redhead said over the video call.

"Well, not for me it'snot. You should see it here. You two are literally everywhere. I think you caused the Yao Ming effect because suddenly, everyone in Japan loves basketball."

_"Now you're just exaggerating... Anyway, I was just calling to let you know that Daiki and I are planning to come back to Tokyo next year. Well, as soon as the season's over."_

"About damn time. I'll get Imayoshi-san to arrange some sort of reunion or something. It's been too long, dude. We've missed our Tiger." He grinned but didn't stop browsing the web. It filled him with so much pride to know that someone so close to him was so beloved by the public. "Oh, and give me your sign. I bought your jersey."

That made Kagami howl in laughter. _"Yeah, mine and not Daiki's, right?"_

"For sure. I stay away from the Aomine germs." Wakamatsu retorted gleefully. It wasn't often that Kagami had time to call during regular season, so he felt like he had the right to be excited.

_"As you should. So, how have you been doing? Sorry I haven't checked up on everyone lately."_

"You're busy being a superstar. I getcha." It was replied with a chuckle. "Everyone's great. Imayoshi-san got married a few months ago and Susa, well, he's doing great with his wife. Had a cute little boy. I saw him last week."

Kagami spent some more time listening to all the news that he missed. There were some he already heard of, but it was still nice to finally be caught up. In the background, Aomine was busy lounging around and unwinding after a tough game against the Warriors where Kise still was.

He missed Japan. It had been way too long since he last stepped foot there, so he vowed to take a vacation back to where his love for basketball was really cemented. Maybe a visit to Touou was in order too. He wondered if their old teachers were still stuck there.

"'s that Wakamatsu?" Aomine interrupted. When Kagami nodded, he shuffled upright on the couch and grinned. "Tell him that he's a dickhead."

"Daiki said that you're a dickhead."

 _"Oi, you asshole!"_ The scream was audible even through the phone.

"C'mon, Tai. We're grabbing some dinner with the team, so get ready already." He blatantly ignored his former teammate's complaints.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry, Wakamatsu. I have to get going. Let's talk again another time." After he hung up, the pair rushed to get themselves somewhat presentable before jumping into Kagami's car and driving to the designated restaurant.

As expected, it ended up in another basketball talk. Starting with McClain's approaching retirement date to next year's draft prospect, and some tactics sprinkled in there as well regarding the next match.

A few drinks in, Aomine was once again busy with stuffing more grilled steak into his mouth while Kagami was dragged into the corner by his other teammates who had been grilling him about getting some new tattoos. Unlike every other guy in the NBA, he was in the minority whose skin was still pristine clean.

"Get a cool skull tattoo. It's a waste of biceps otherwise if you keep it virgin."

"Oh, we're calling him a virgin now?" Another player laughed.

"Hey, I'm not a virgin!" The athlete's face reddened at the teasing. "I just don't know what tattoo I should get. It's permanent, so I want it to mean something."

"Get a matching one with Dai. Lose your virginity together." That successfully coaxed a snort out of everyone. "Oh, I have an idea. When we win a championship, you two are getting one."

"So this year?" Chris chuckled.

"Hell yeah, this year. Wait, I'll one up that. Tai, why don't you propose if we win?"

"W-what!" Kagami spluttered. Just when he thought he was getting used to all the teasing, he was taken aback by that bold statement. Unlike him, though, everyone else cooed.

"No, but imagine that! You two are basketball nerds, so just get on one knee after that final buzzer rings, then takes out your ring. I'll tell you what, we'll help you out. We'll bring the confetti and pass you the ring from the bench, Rajon Rondo style. Man, I wish I could do that with my wife."

"What if he says no? That's public humiliation!" Kagami cringed inwardly just thinking about it.

"Seriously? You think he'll say no?" McClain rolled his eyes. "No chance. Even Barkley will correctly predict the outcome of the match this time. _Charles Barkley._ Predicting correctly. Let that one sink in."

"But... I dunno, isn't that too soon? I mean, we've only been going out for... three years? I don't think that's long enough."

"Could'a fooled me, Tiger. You two bicker like you're ten years into your marriage." Someone quipped and it was replied with a series of agreeing hums. "I mean, I don't understand Japanese and I can tell you're probably yelling about groceries. Or whose turn it is to clean the nasty toilet."

The redhead clicked his tongue at the accuracy then twiddled his thumbs nervously. "Still... in public?"

"In public. Your relationship is already known, so who cares anymore?"

"It's still a proposal..."

"Hey, just a suggestion. After the ballsy stuff Daiki did coming out with you like that, thought you'd want to reciprocate."

Kagami raised his head. "Reciprocate?"

"Y'know, one up him. Y'all are all 'bout that, right?"

One-upping Aomine. In theory, it should be an easy task Kagami would tackle any day of the week, but this wasn't one of their competitions. This was a matter of... well, their _entire damn life._ The redhead turned to the right to see his boyfriend laughing with the rest of the Lakers crew. He was kind of ashamed that the thought of marriage never really crossed his head despite how happy Aomine made him.

The blunette seemed to notice that he was being stared at. In all his tipsy goodness, he gave Kagami a charming, lopsided grin and a wave that made him snort.

"So what's the verdict, big boy?" Nudged his friend.

"I... don't know. It's a big step." He scratched the back of his head.

"One you'll have to take. If you wait too long, he might eventually get the jump on you." One of the boys shrugged.

And while the rest of the night passed by rather uneventfully, those words stuck to him even after he crawled into bed next to Aomine. The dark-skinned male yawned, stretched his long limbs and cuddled into Kagami.

"You're thinking." He muttered sleepily. "Stop that. It's creepy."

"Shut up." Kagami lightly pinched Aomine's butt, making him purr mischievously.

No further word was spoken between them that night, but Kagami still felt restless. What to do...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, another short chapter. I haven't been feeling so good so I haven't been writing much either... still wanna give you guys an update though.
> 
> Also fun fact: Charles Barkley predicts the NBA champion wrong every year, it's kinda impressive. 50-50 yet he always gets it wrong.


	40. Leaving a Mark

Aomine was kinda annoyed. Rightfully so! For the past few weeks, Kagami had been acting so strangely. He spaced out more often than not and would sometimes look ahead thoughtfully. When asked what was up, he'd just sigh and kept his mouth shut.

"I'm sure it's nothing." Said every single one of his teammates who had a knowing glint in their eyes. What was it that they saw that Aomine couldn't? He initially thought that they were all playing tricks on him because everyone seemed to love picking on him and Kagami—in a playful way, but still mischievous all the same. However, after a gruelling few weeks, he gave up.

"I think Taiga's cheating on me."

"Just when I thought you can't be any more stupid." Kuroko stated flatly.

"No, you don't understand! He's been ignoring me and—"

"He hasn't had sex with you. I get it, Aomine-kun. Have you considered that perhaps he doesn't find you sexually appealing anymore?"

That made Aomine's breath hitch. His eyes contorted in fear and he was quick to pull up his shirt to reveal his killer abs that only got deadlier by day. "W-what? But I'm still sexy as hell!"

"I was kidding, obviously. Anyone as stupid as Kagami-kun will never tire of you, Aomine-kun." The shorter male said before taking another sip of his low fat-high protein vanilla milkshake.

"I seriously don't know whether to feel offended or not."

"Yes." He said. "Anyway, don't think too much of it. Kagami-kun isn't the type to be unfaithful, especially when it comes to the love of his life. Either you are overthinking or something is truly bothering him. Either way, you must speak with him if you want to find out. Kagami-kun most likely doesn't even realise that he's acting any different than usual."

"I guess..." The bluehead muttered while playing with his fork. "Fine. I don't have a choice."

"Communication is key. I know it can be difficult, but you have to learn. _Especially_ you two. You can be so brash, you're bound to hurt each other one day. Your only saving grace will be just that. Communication." He then looked up at Aomine who only frowned at him like he was spouting nonsense. "Well, I won't beat a dead horse. You know what you have to do."

"Whatever. It just rubs me the wrong way. Feels bad you know, not being trusted."

"Like I said, just speak to him."

"Yeah, yeah." Aomine popped some fries into his mouth and crumpled the carton box before lobbing it into the nearest trash bin. "Gotta go. Good luck with your match against Kise tomorrow."

"I'll do my best. You too, Aomine-kun." He smiled while he watched his old friend collecting his bag and leaving with a wave. "What am I going to do with you two..." Kuroko let out a fond sigh. He loved them dearly but boy were they a handful.

.

It had been almost a month yet Kagami still wasn't able to brush off what his teammates said. In fact, it got worse. He was here with a magazine in hand detailing different kind of wedding types, cuisines and locations. All of them were charming in their own rights and Kagami wished he could ask Aomine but he didn't even know if the guy wanted to get tied down in a marriage or not.

Sighing for the nth time, he threw the magazine back inside his duffel bag and zipped it tight. There were so many things he had to consider too aside from the venue. Transportation, guest list... and of course, the damn ring. This shouldn't be so daunting, but Kagami found himself extremely nervous. He was lucky that his restlessness didn't translate to his performance on the court, but he supposed that was what he loved about basketball—the fact that he could let loose without thinking of anything else except the ball and his opponents.

He wanted to ask someone, but he was afraid that they'd laugh at him for stressing out. Besides, he wanted to do it himself so he can take all the glory later. And also because it'd be more special that way. Or something lame like that.

"Taiga, are you listening?"

The redhead blinked. "Oh, uh. Yes, coach. Sorry."

"Get your head in the game, Tiger. This is our first playoff round and we want to get a momentum going." Chris shook his head. "Anyway, as I was saying..."

The discussion went underway once more and this time, Kagami paid full attention. They were the number one seed coming into the playoff, so they definitely wanted to show up.

"What's wrong with you, dumbass?" Aomine whispered under his breath, his knee nudging his boyfriend's. There was an adorable wrinkle on his forehead that Kagami wanted to kiss.

He opened his mouth but closed it again the next second. Instead, he scratched the back of his head and ended it with a huge grin. "Let's win."

Aomine curled his lips but decided to not question it further. "Fine. But we have to talk after."

"Huh?" Kagami's eyes widened in confusion but he didn't manage to ask Aomine to elaborate because everyone was already warmed up and began walking out of the door.

That was ominous. Kagami didn't like the sound of that. 'Have to talk'. For some reason, it made him nervous. He didn't like having 'the talk' because Aomine wasn't the type to sit down and discuss his problems. For him to suddenly want to do that was honestly frightening.

And that was enough to shake his play that day. He was sloppy. Starting from missing an open shot, getting his possession poked free and getting out-rebounded by his less impressive counterpart on the other team.

He was benched for most of the second quarter with Chris yelling at him to get his head in the game. While his teammates tried to be somewhat supportive by saying everyone had a bad day, Kagami, too, was disappointed in himself. He looked down at the polished wooden floor the entire match with his eyes forcefully shut as if he couldn't stand seeing his own reflection.

Just a talk. It shouldn't be a big deal, right? All couples and friends needed to have _the talk_. However, there was something inside him that tried to convince him that he fucked up somewhere along the line.

Kagami shook his head and hit his cheeks a few times for good measure. This wasn't the time for self-doubt. He had to get back on the court and assist his team.

"Is something wrong, Taiga?" Chris finally asked with a sigh though a little amused at the red handprints on the guy's adorably soft cheeks.

"Nothing, it's..." He pursed his lips. "I wanna win."

"We all do."

"Yeah, true." He replied awkwardly before looking at the court where the rest of his friends were. They were behind in points as of now, but he hoped that his blunder didn't cost them the game.

"Stop thinking about wanting to win. For now, I need you to focus on the game. Whatever comes later will come later."

"Yes coach." Kagami obediently nodded. It was true that the more he thought about winning, the less he wanted it to happen. Because if he lost then he would've had an excuse to hightail it. He wouldn't have to propose and potentially humiliate both of them in front of many. Deep down, he supposed he wished for his team to lose and was currently using Aomine's 'talk' as an excuse.

"Are you gonna play hard?"

"I'll play hard." He firmly announced.

"You'll play like Taiga Kagami we both know?"

"Yessir."

"Then go!" Chris slapped the back of Kagami's shoulder and motioned for a player change.

Aomine was the first to notice his boyfriend running towards the court and settling on his spot while someone on their team was throwing his second free throw. They were on the opposite sides of the paint so they couldn't exactly whisper to each other, but there was something in Aomine's eyes that asked 'you good?', so Kagami bobbed his head down.

He just had to do his best. He couldn't allow his relationship to interfere with the team's chemistry.

And as it turned out, The Talk wasn't anything relationship-threatening. Aomine just wanted to make sure that everything was okay since he had been acting strange, and Kagami ended up laughing because woah, he totally worried over nothing.

.

No one really batted an eyelash anymore upon seeing the Toronto Raptors' dominant performance. This marked the seventh times in a row they made it to the playoff and among those seven, they won twice thanks to the deadly combination of Murasakibara and Himuro who remained loyal to the team that drafted them. Surprisingly enough, such loyalty was not something that was commonly seen. Many professional athletes jumped ship just so they could win a championship. While it wasn't an inherently bad thing to do, it certainly rubbed fans the wrong way.

Aomine, for one, had garnered some people's disdain due to his decision to leave the moment things got awry. It was a drama that none of the friend group really want to care about, Kise included.

The blond sat in the locker room post-game. His body was already cooled down and he was ready to leave, but the moment he took a step forward, he slumped onto his knees and hissed in pain. Thankfully, no one was there.

He took off his shoes to see a swell on his ankle that persisted even after he iced it the whole night yesterday. He even got his personal doctor to check on it to make sure everything would be fine. Well, turned out it wasn't. He overworked himself once more despite what his doctor told him and it was going to be the end of his career if he kept this up.

However, he couldn't let his team down. The Clippers were a nasty bunch especially with the experienced Akashi leading the charge. If he didn't give it his all, they wouldn't be able to keep up. At the moment, the score was dead even on 3-3 and with just one more game ahead of them, he had to be in a tiptop shape now more than ever.

"Ryo, you good?" As if reading the severity of the situation, his teammate entered the room to see Kise cradling his ankle. "Oi, are you okay?"

"Fine," He groaned the moment he tried to stand up. "I'm fine. Nothing a good night sleep can't handle."

"Dude, no. That's _bad_. I'm gonna tell—"

"No!" The blond immediately cut. "Please, don't. I'll make sure to rest and it'll all be fine for our next match, so don't tell anyone."

"But Ryo! Look at yourself!" The African-American gestured at the terrifying swelling. "This isn't a laughing matter anymore. We all know how much you've pushed yourself lately, but if you keep this up, who knows what will happen."

"But I want to win!" He snapped. "We've come close so many times, but..."

"Seriously, shut your mouth, dude." He groaned before grabbing one of his teammate's arm and putting it around his back. " Let's go. I won't tell the coach but you'd better think about the consequences of your actions."

.

The more perceptive ones knew that something was up with Kise. With the Timberwolves already out of the playoff, Kuroko sat on the audience seat with Satsuki to watch the Golden States Warriors vs Los Angeles Clippers. It was the tie-breaker at the moment which meant the tension was at an all-time high.

"Ki-chan..." Satsuki put her curled fingers together against each other and tightened them. "Tetsu-kun, what should we do? At this rate, he's going to seriously injure himself."

Kuroko wasn't any less tense. He stared at the court with eyes that expressed horror as he watched his friend pushing himself to the absolute limit with his perfect copy. There were only a few minutes left in the game and he hoped that the clock would tick a bit faster just so he could slap some sense into Kise.

Just two more minutes. The score was 120-120 and the ball was on the Warriors' possession. The crowd was wild and so were the commentators, but that couldn't be said for some who bit their nails nervously.

With thirty seconds to go, they could only watch from afar as a _pop_ could be heard followed by Kise writhing in pain on the court. Kuroko and Satsuki gasped and the latter put a hand over her mouth.

"Kise-kun!" The lithe male yelled out, surprising the entire stadium by his uncharacteristically loud scream. Ignoring the rules, he jumped over to the players' bench to see a pair of paramedics already inspecting his ankle. "Kise-kun."

"Ah," The blond hissed in anguish. There were tears on the corner of his eyes and Kuroko would wager that it wasn't because of the physical pain. It was the fact that this might be career-ending.

"You never learn. You always push yourself too hard. Look at what you've done to yourself." The blunette's lips trembled at the sight of his friend wallowing in regret. "I'll talk to you later, Kise-kun." With heavy heart, Kuroko jumped back to the audience seat where Satsuki awaited. The girl wasn't faring any better either. She was trying hard not to cause a scene by the look of it.

The Warriors won against the Clippers that day, but it didn't feel like a victory at all.

.

In the weeks following Kise's injury, people held their breaths. The Warriors lost their next matches against the absolutely jacked up Lakers. Aomine and Kagami were clearly upset by Kise's absence but they didn't hold back. They swept the match in a dominating 4-0 to proceed to the conference finals against the OKC.

No one really doubted them for a second, though. After all, Aomine only lost by a hairbreadth in the league MVP voting. If the ace could keep this up, he would definitely be one next year.

The mood was a strange one among the Miracles. Everyone was tense and nobody tried to bring up the subject of Kise's injuries.

Not until the man himself called Kuroko during a gathering in Los Angeles with Satsuki, Akashi, Aomine and Kagami.

They felt numb. As Kise's pained voice came through from the other line, everyone kept quiet. The blond tried his best to sound like his usual self, but everyone knew better. Even after the call was ended, nobody said a single word. They stared at the device in absolute silence, then at each other in disbelief.

Who knew that out of everyone, Kise would be the first to retire?

Kuroko was the first to excuse himself to the bathroom, leaving everyone else to sit there blankly in the restaurant with discord so palpable in the air.

His injury was too severe. He would not be returning.

And the worst thing about it?

Kise didn't win a single championship in the few years he played in the league.

They heard about great players who peaked, taking everyone by storm yet never winning a single ring. Steve Nash. James Harden. Chris Paul.

Who knew that Kise would join the rank too?

.

The news that became a hot topic didn't bother the rest of the Japanese athletes. At least they tried to not let it overtake them. After all, some of them still had games to play and if they let it get to them, it'd show in their plays. So instead of thinking about what-if's, they used Kise's retirement as a fuel to keep themselves going.

Aomine and Kagami defeated the crippled Golden States Warriors with relative ease, which was extremely surprising. However, it just went to show how integral Kise was to the team. They would wager that no one really understood that until the prodigy was missing.

They had no time to feel sorry about it either. They only had their eyes set on winning the championship and the team that stood in the way was Toronto Raptors, returning for a potential third win with a deadly duo of their own. Right now, more than ever, they had something to prove. They had more reason to push themselves harder—play harder; play smarter. While it always came back to their rivalry, there was something more at stake here. At least for Kagami.

Discreetly, he spent an hour a day looking around for a good shop that carved the best proposal rings. He couldn't come to his friends as well to ask for their opinion because he didn't want to deal with their cooing. Kagami was determined to do this from start to finish himself. It'd give him more bragging rights later.

He juggled so many different ideas in his head. Sapphire ring would be nice... but maybe a classic diamond would be good. Or just pure gold? Or a silver one. Lighter colour would look nice on Aomine's dark skin. And what about the crown? Should he commission one with a jewel or a plain one so they could both wear it during matches?

There were far too many possibilities and Kagami, for the life of him, couldn't decide.

.

To say Kise regretted his actions was an understatement. He knew what _that_ would entail, but he insisted on chasing his vanity just so he could prove something to Akashi. Right now, he sat inside the large stadium overlooking two teams, the first seed for each conference. Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers. Something about it made him smile in nostalgia. This was a sight all the Miracles were accustomed to, back in the days.

The team rivalries were always there among all of them, but out of everyone, these two probably had most people talking. It was mostly due to how well the team's dynamic duo played around each other. And right now, an encore was about to unfold.

He checked his Twitter feed that displayed some leaked footage of all the Miracles playing together in high school. More and more of these were unearthed at an alarming rate. It all began yesterday night and right now, he could see plenty of his teenage memories.

"You never told me, Ryo." His girlfriend nudged as she watched some ten-seconds something clip of Akashi breaking ankles during his time in Rakuzan.

"Didn't think it mattered. We all agreed to not make a big deal out of it, so I didn't wanna be the one to break that promise." The blond smiled fondly at the screen. "Aw, man... this really brings some memories."

"So even basketball in high school is kinda a big deal in Japan, huh?"

"Of course it is. It's a beloved sport." A soft voice came from behind them and when they turned around, Satsuki and Kuroko settled with a large serving of fries. "However, no amount of footage will ever come close to describing how we all got here."

"Amen to that. Especially Aominecchi and Kagamicchi," Kise looked at the court where the tip-off was about to commence. "They've come so far."

"That they have." Satsuki sighed wistfully. "I never thought the day would ever come that Dai-chan grows to love basketball again. After middle school, I thought..."

"It was a dark time for all of us." Said Kuroko. "But we're all here now. That's what matters."

"Ooh! I'm here just in time!" Another voice from beside them. This time, it was Alex wearing Lakers jersey number 10 with Kagami's name written on the back. "Oh, Eliza. You're here too!"

"Alex!" She immediately shot up upon seeing her idol. Alex was one of the best WNBA players, after all.

The game began, distracting everyone from their chitchats. Even from the very beginning, all eyes were glued to the two dynamic duos. The things they could do were simply insane. No one knew what they'd do next because they had so many moves in their arsenal. While Murasakibara and Himuro were the types to play methodically and calculatingly thanks to the latter's high basketball IQ, Aomine and Kagami were unpredictable. They played purely on instinct instead of logic, and the two playstyles could easily thwart the other if enough care were not taken.

If the first quarter was any indication for the matches to come, then everyone was in for a treat.

Both teams played at the highest level. They were out there creating a masterpiece that most could only dream of making. Honestly, it was still a strange sight to see Murasakibara giving it his all. Gone was the lazy purplehead from high school. In his place was an athlete revelled by all as one of the greatest defenders. Well, when he really wanted to be one anyway.

Kise might be bummed that he had to retire because of a stupid injury, but he could say with confidence that he was more than happy that he got to play with his friends. Especially that memorable all-star match earlier in the year where all the Miracles were finally chosen to play together. They even got a group photo to commemorate it. He wished he could do it the second time, but guess not.

After an exceptional showing from the Raptors, they won with a narrow margin of 2 points in the best of 7 match. The Lakers were sent packing for the day in a bitter loss.

"Yeah, that was a satisfying win," Himuro said during the post-match interview. "Because it's not enough that we contain Taiga and Daiki. Their entire team is a menace and if we're not careful, we'll slip up." He smiled. "Well, we'll win again next time. We plan on keeping it up."

.

Fifth game.

Currently, the Lakers led by 3-2 and if they could snag the victory today, then it would be the day.

Kagami thumbed the maroon box containing a ring that he purchased last week. The day was almost here and to say he was nervous would be an understatement. To help him, he called the rest of the starters and bench players that he trusted to the locker room ahead of time. Everyone else was still outside warming up or doing pre-game interviews, Aomine included.

It was kinda wild how popular he was in comparison to all the other Miracles. Maybe it was that Allen Iverson vibe that he emitted—the nonchalant, hip bad boy vibe who wasn't afraid to stand out. He made elbow wrappers sexy again just like The Answer himself.

"Tai!" His friend jumped from behind him, putting him in a playful headlock. "I heard about your sneaker line. Finally getting one, huh?"

"About time." Kagami grinned. He turned around to see a few people walking into the locker room—the ones he wanted to see.

"So, what'd you call us here for?" McClain asked with a small knowing smirk. "Let me guess, it has something to do with that box in your hand."

That made the redhead jolt a little. He wrapped the item with his fingers, put it close to his chest and nodded. "Yeah. If we win today..."

"You're actually doing it." Anthony widened his eyes. "Tai, you're actually doing it? You fucking madman."

"W-well!" He interrupted the cooing with a beet-red face. "I dunno... one-upping him, right?"

"There we go! Finally you grew a pair of balls." His friend slapped his back so hard, he lurched forward. "So, what do you need us to do?"

"Just keep the ring safe. I know you guys rotate in and out of bench, so I want someone manning it at all times. And if— _when_ we win, I need someone to pass it to me. Or something."

"You got it, hotshot. Daiki'll never know what hit him."

"God, I'm nervous." Kagami heaved out a breath just in time for the door to be slammed open to reveal Aomine. The redhead immediately shoved the box into his pocket a split second later.

"Tai! Ready to win?" The blunette let out a grin and slapped his ass as he sauntered towards his locker to pop his bag inside. As soon as he shoved his belongings and closed the door, a few people walked towards him to have a chat, not forgetting to slap his ass too. Kagami was honestly amused by the amount of ass-slapping no matter where he went. It was such a casual hello for these athletes.

All of them began the pre-game briefing, then they all jogged into the lively stadium exploding with energy. It was a Lakers home game, meaning that the cheers for them were deafeningly loud. Kagami could see some cardboard cutouts of his face being waved around on the audience seat and he tried to not look its way. How embarrassing.

Aomine looked like he was having the time of his life, though. If a few years ago he was awkward around attention, now he revelled in it. The guy high-fived all hands as he made his way towards the bench, not forgetting to strike some pose for the kids who had their phones up.

"You're excited." Kagami laughed.

"Hell yeah I am. We're gonna win today. I can feel it."

If the blunette sensed the sudden nerve from Kagami, he didn't say anything about it. "Why do you say that?"

"Look at everyone!" He motioned at the starters and bench players. "Can't you see how hyped they are? I dunno what came over them, but you ain't gonna hear me complaining."

When Kagami took one glance at his teammates, he chuckled. Yeah. Everyone's focus sure was sky high. Was it because they almost won or...

He nudged the box in his pocket.

Regardless, he was chuffed to see that everyone was at a tiptop shape. He sneakily handed the object over to Francis on the bench before pacing towards the court for the start of the game.

 _Shake it off, Taiga,_ he told himself as he tunnel-visioned the ball in front of him.

The whistle was blown and it began.

.

"I don't know what's going _on_ with the Lakers today, but wow. _Wow_. The Raptors' defense was great but somehow, the Lakers offence was even better!"

"Coming to the second half, they're up by 10. That's quite a massive lead, considering how tight the past few games had been. I daresay that this is the biggest lead in the finals."

"And our player of the game for today is Taiga Kagami. His defence, his jumps, his dunks! He's got it all." As the commentators talked, snippets of Kagami's blocks were shown. "Already he scored six second-chance points. It's no doubt that the momentum was set by him."

"He's certainly fiercer today. I mean, we all know he's got claws but right now, we're definitely seeing claws _and_ fangs. Which is understandable, considering if he wins today, it'll be his first championship win. Now, who do you think will take finals MVP?"

"Look, it's gotta be Daiki. He missed out on the MVP voting by _that_ much this year and the impact he's had is significant. He's averaging 4.2 steals per game in the finals and more often than not, he turns them into money. He might not have the hops, but he's certainly got speed."

"Well folks, we'll find out. Second half is starting now and let's see if the Lakers can close this off in a 4-2 series."

.

It wasn't really the first time they saw Murasakibara in the zone, but it was never any less terrifying when it happened. It was akin to the bubbling rage of the quiet ones when they were tipped over the edge. It didn't happen often, but boy was it chilling.

Aomine and Kagami faced off against the blocking monster in front of him. While Himuro couldn't open the gates, he compensated for it with his high IQ. He was able to constantly set Murasakibara up for easy points. In a way, he used the distraction of the elephant in the room to his advantage.

As McClain directed the traffic, the boys in purple and gold scattered into position. The two superstars, too, listened. The NBA wasn't like when they were in high school. Those guys didn't have the skill to keep up with them. However, here, surrounded with so many talented players who lived and breathed basketball, they knew they were in good hands.

 _Daiki, you're setting Taiga up._ Their captain gestured, making Aomine shift a little to the right. Passing still wasn't his forte, no matter how comfortable he was with it now. However, if this meant they'd win, then he was okay with it.

Funny how it worked. If in the past all he wanted to do was lose, now he wanted to win no matter the cost. Sometimes, he didn't know why he fussed over no one being better than he was when in fact, there were so many damn people far superior. Playing in the NBA only affirmed that. He never regretted coming here. Not even for a second.

Right now, he cared for little else but playing his best game with people who brought out the best in him. And he was sure that the sentiment was also mirrored by Kagami whose light shone the brightest. It beckoned Aomine to follow him. In the beginning, he thought that he chose to reach out, but now, he realised that he never really had a choice. Kagami would've forced his hands whether he wanted it or not.

It's showtime.

.

There were no words to describe this euphoria. 

With one lob from the back from Aomine, Kagami scored the decisive point past Murasakibara's hand. It was brute strength. Nothing gracious about it. It was filled with raw energy, passion and topped off with a roar.

When he landed, he could hear the crowd standing up and cheering. Just like that, he came back to his senses, Gone was the feeling of being six feet under. Suddenly, he was coherent again.

When everyone rushed towards him to give him a huge tackle that almost sent him on the floor, the gravity of the victory sank in.

The trophy was immediately carted towards the court and shirts of _Lakers 20xx Champions_ were distributed to the bench. Handshakes were exchanged and Kagami only stared at Himuro and a bitter Murasakibara for a few moments.

"Your win this time, Taiga. Congratulations on your first vic—"

"Hell fucking yeah!" Aomine fistpumped in the distance. He looked way too busy being crowded by everyone else to be able to rush to Kagami. "Lakers champions! Yeah!"

"Taiga, catch!" As promised, a box was lobbed towards him and he almost dropped it.

"Oh." Himuro raised his eyebrows and winked at Kagami. "I see. We'll talk after, then. Good luck." The dark-haired male promptly dragged his husband into the sidelines, leaving Kagami to stare thoughtfully at the item in his hand.

"Taiga, we did it!" Aomine grinned, running towards him, giving him a huge hug before releasing him. "We won. We did it."

"Yeah." Kagami muttered, eyes focusing on the floor.

"What's wrong? You don't seem happy." The blunette frowned. When he looked around him, he noticed that the Lakers boys were staring at them in silence. With a confused hum, he looked back at Kagami who was now on one knee, holding a maroon box up with a beautiful gold ring inside. There small blue and red gems embedded along the surface. It was sleek, small and wouldn't get in the way of ball handling.

The crowd's chatters died down as all the athletes shushed them.

"Daiki!" Kagami yelled out. "M—marry..." He cleared his throat. "W-will you... marry me?"

There was absolute silence as Aomine stared at his boyfriend who shifted uncomfortably on the court. The audience, too, looked at them in anticipation.

"Wh—are you serious?" He stammered and heart thundering. "S-seriously?" His dark skin grew hotter every second that passed. The sight of his boyfriend holding out a glimmering golden ring along with everyone's eyes made him go into an overdrive. Because holy shit, was this happening? Was this really happening?

Meanwhile, Kagami grew more nervous. Instead of looking at Aomine's blue eyes, he opted to stare at the polished wooden floor.

"Yes." Aomine whispered.

That made Kagami snap up to finally meet the bluehead's dumbfounded expression.

"Yeah. Fuck yeah I will."

"Y-yeah?"

"Just fucking put it on, stupid! Here." With a jab, Aomine offered his hand that Kagami gladly met. He took out the ring and slowly slid the smooth surface around his finger. The two stared at each other with a pair of disbelieving eyes. "Am I dreaming?" Aomine choked while Kagami got to his feet. "This looks crazy. W-when did you even—"

Aomine could say nothing else before he found himself being wrapped in Kagami's arms. Warm lips met his as everyone around them cheered even louder.

The trophy was carted next to them and together, they lifted it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you noticed, I shortened the fic to only 42 chapters. I'm getting so burnt out and I can't wait to get this fic over and done with XD thanks sm for all your lovely comments!! Just 2 more chapters to go. Let's power through this!
> 
> Also sorry to Kise but it really do be like that sometimes baby


	41. Together

The venue was probably the easiest to decide. Just take a hotel large enough for hundreds of people to attend. Meal was a different story. Kagami didn't really understand what was good, so he left it to Akashi to handle. For suit, he let himself be dragged by Kise and Alex all over the shopping malls while Aomine had Satsuki and Kuroko babying him.

And there was also song selections, table layout design and the dreaded guest list that the two soon-to-be-married had to sort out. They listed out everyone in their phone contact list, email, all the current players playing in the NBA. In short, it was a headache and it made Aomine had a mental breakdown.

"I can't do this anymore, Taigaaaa... How did we end up with 119 people already?" He flopped onto his back and stretched his arms and legs like a starfish.

"You were the one who insisted on a big wedding, so you gotta put the legwork too. Here, I've got some more for you to sort through. I've even put Iverson there in case you wanna invite your idol." The redhead threw the piece of paper that calmly fluttered down to Aomine's face.

The blunette glared at the innocent piece of paper like it had personally insulted him. "Yeah, I'll do it for the shits and giggles. You gotta invite MJ too, then. Or Giannis. Didn't you meet him during the dunk contest?"

"Why not." Kagami grinned with a shrug.

"Mm... then what about LeBron?"

"Or Pippen."

"The list goes on." Aomine snorted. "Hey, Taiga."

"Hm?" The redhead looked up from reading the list.

"Let's go to Japan for Honeymoon. Back to Touou."

"You wanna have sex in the school? You'll terrorise the poor children, you freak." Kagami teased even though he had to admit he missed that place.

"Like the good ol' day. Maybe you can suck me off again near the entrance. It'll bring back memories." He joked, resulting in Kagami throwing a book at his face. "Ow!"

"Once you're done ticking that, we gotta decide on music."

"Oh, music!" Aomine scrambled to his feet and pressed his chest against Kagami's back. "What are we gonna dance to?" He tangled their fingers together and spun Kagami around so they were face-to-face. Then, he closed his eyes and moved side to side in a messy choreography with Kagami tumbling along for the ride. "When marimba rhythms start to play. Dance with me... Make me sway..." 

"That's so fucking lame." The redhead laughed even though he had to admit that Aomine's husky voice was extremely tantalising, accent or not. However, a few years in the states made his pronunciation so much better.

"Or what about, 'cause all of me... loves all of you... Love your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections... _"_

"Stooop!" Kagami couldn't resist shoving Aomine's face away after he came too close to his neck. "I never thought I'm dating such a sap."

"Oh baby, you haven't seen me at my worst." With that, Aomine tackled Kagami so he lost his balance. The redhead yelped but before he could unceremoniously drop to the ground, his fiance was there to hold him up. They stood there for a while before their lips met. It was only for a short moment, but a sweet one.

When the blunette pulled away, he grinned a toothy grin.

"I found a reason for me... to change who I used to be..."

"Stop, seriously! I'll strangle you!" He burst out laughing at his partner's antics that he suspected would never grow old. Who knew that the tough and mighty bad boy Aomine Daiki was this big of a softie? Well, half of the world but that wasn't the point. They would never understand because they weren't there for teenager Aomine.

"Well, what song do you have in mind, then? Don't put something lame. Do Taylor Swift. I like Taylor Swift." Still refusing to be apart from Kagami, he latched onto the male who was slowly growing more relaxed in his arms. Despite the lack of melody, they idly swayed side to side gently.

With his nose now buried in Aomine's neck, he hummed thoughtfully.

"That Arizona sky..."

"Burning in your eyes." Aomine continued with his deep voice.

"You look at me, and babe, I wanna catch on fire." Now getting carried away at the moment, Kagami smiled. "It's buried in my soul... like California gold..."

"You found the light in me that I couldn't find... Alright! Lady Gaga's good too."

"Way to ruin the moment." With a snort, Kagami shoved Aomine away then went back to his paper, much to the latter's dismay.

.

Just for Aomine's special day, Kazuhiro took some time off from work just so he could fly to America. He had to admit that homosexuality wasn't something he was particularly fond of. However, he had years to prepare for the inevitable announcement that his son was, indeed, in love with Kagami. He'd seen the hints from early on but turned the other way thinking that it was just a phase. However, after years of on-and-off relationship, he realised that no one could quite make him as happy as Kagami did.

So, whether he wanted to or not, he had to accept it. He just gained his son's trust, so to alienate him because of his sexuality would be the last straw. There would be no third chance for him. As much as he felt uncomfortable with the idea of same-sex relationship, he valued his bond with Aomine more. And he had to admit, the obvious relief in Aomine's voice the moment he realised he wasn't going to be shut out was worth any discomfort.

Compromise wasn't something he was very good at, but he was willing to try. For his son, he'd do anything.

It had been a few years since he'd last seen Aomine. He actively followed the games and would occasionally call but nothing beat a meeting in person. 

With his suitcase rolling next to him, his eyes scoured the airport until he saw blue and red hair that stuck out like a sore thumb. The two men waved at him. When he drew closer, Aomine sauntered towards him with his hands in his pocket. On his shoulder was the overgrown Maru who thought that she was still a kitten. Good thing her master wasn't a small, frail man.

"Yo." He greeted casually.

Kazuhiro smiled, then he opened his arms. "C'mere."

"Daaaad..." Despite the protest, he took a step forward and answered the gesture with a half-assed hug.

"Good afternoon, Aomine-san. Hope the trip was okay?"

"Rough landing but aside from that, the chicken curry they served was pretty good." He chuckled. "Not half as good as yours though, Taiga."

"Ahh, now you're just exaggerating." He rubbed the back of his head bashfully before looking next to him. "Ah, this is my dad. Dad, Aomine-san."

"Nice to meet you, Kazuhiro. I'm Tobyn." The elder who appeared out of nowhere shook the other's hand. "Taiga's cooking's pretty good, right?"

"One of the best. Reminds me of my mother's." He threw his head back and laughed as they walked out of the airport and towards the carpark. The entire time, the elders watched their sons bickering in front of them about a video game they played earlier. They playfully shoved each other and spouted some cutting words that might seem harsh to bystanders, but just a normal occurrence for the two.

"I don't understand how they can squabble so much." Tobyn shook his head. "Though I have to admit that after they moved, the house feels a lot bigger."

"I know what you mean. You miss the noise, right?"

"Something like that." The Westerner cracked a fond smile when they saw Aomine's fingers brushing against Kagami's for a split second. "They grow up so quickly. Feels like it's only yesterday that I taught Taiga how to walk." When his company replied with an amused hum, he continued. "Do you think we'll get a grandchild?"

"Daiki loves children. And they love him too. I won't be surprised if he adopts a couple." He said as he thought back to the time when Aomine worked as a police officer. He'd always be surrounded by middle-aged ladies and their children who kept tugging him from different directions. I think if... _this_ hadn't panned out, he'd make a kicker teacher or something."

"A son would be nice." Said Tobyn.

"Definitely a son." The other male nodded. "Though maybe a daughter would do us some good. I mean, four men? We can use someone to keep us in line." He laughed.

"You're right. Well, regardless of gender, I just hope that I'll be able to hold a grandchild."

.

two hundred invitations were sent to Japan and America. They invited everyone they could think of, and for those who wasn't able to pay for their plane ticket, the two men said that they would gladly help out. They had way too much money in their bank account that they didn't know how to spend anyway.

So far, a lot had placed their RSVP and they received a few requests from the media to come in and document it. It was one that they gladly accepted after a thorough review and selection process. They didn't need reporters they didn't like dirtying their special day.

"Dude!!" Aomine jerked up from his lying down position on their plush king-sized bed. "Dude!" He grabbed Kagami's shoulder while still staring at the screen in disbelief.

"What!?" The redhead tore his headphone off after the fiftieth song he listened to because their playlist still wasn't finished.

"Iverson just said he's coming to the wedding!"

"For real?" With a pair of wide eyes, he looked at the confirmed list of guests and his jaw dropped. "Damn, and oh. Oh, Daiki. Look!"

"What!?" This time, the already frazzled Aomine jumped up and down on his bed.

"Your joke invitation to Mai-chan was accepted too!"

"Noooo fucking way, dude! I'm gonna meet Mai-chan at our wedding? That's insane." He started fanning himself. "Okay, it's confirmed. It's gonna be the best day _ever_."

"So before Mai-chan it wasn't gonna be the best day ever?" Kagami hunched over and squinted accusingly.

"I didn't say that. Quit pouting." He tapped his fiance's cheek then landed a kiss on the redhead's nose. "Keep doing what you're doing. I'm gonna sleep." Said the blunette as he stretched and stroke Maru's soft fur. The feline was curled up next to him peacefully, her tail swishing left and right soothingly. "Maru..."

Kagami who was about to put his headset back on paused and glanced at Aomine.

"She's getting old."

The shorter's gaze lowered and his expression faltered when he saw the pensive look on Aomine's face.

"I don't get why animals age faster than human."

"It's just the way it works, sad as it might be." He emptily gazed at his Spotify playlist as he put the headset around his neck instead.

"She's been there for me from the very beginning." Aomine gently cradled the feline and put her on his lap. "I don't think there's gonna be another like her."

"Yeah." The redhead murmured, a frown printed on his brows. After a moment of silence, Kagami sighed and put all his devices on the nightstand, then pulled the blanket. "Let's sleep. We have another big day tomorrow. We have to pick up our suits and get a haircut, we're gonna need all the energy we can get."

"Mm." Aomine exhaled softly. He lowered himself on the bed just as Kagami turned off the lights.

"Good night, Daiki." He said after a kiss. "I love you."

"Love you too, Taiga. Good night."

.

It took roughly four months of preparation after the day of their sweet, sweet championship victory for everything to be finalised. The venue had been booked, meal set, invites sent. All that was left was the ceremony itself.

In the end, a grand total of 252 guests put their RSVP including big celebrities that they initially only invited out of childishness, but ended up saying yes to coming. Aomine was still positively delirious at the thought of Mai-chan coming with some of her fellow gravure idols who happened to want to take a vacation overseas.

Meanwhile, Kagami's heart pounded loudly for Michael freaking Jordan's arrival. Neither men didn't even know whether they were more excited about the damn wedding or to finally meet their idols at this point. However, their nerve only amused the Maid of Honour and Best Man.

"Don't tell me the Bachelor's party still wasn't enough to calm the jitters, Kagami-kun?" Kuroko chuckled at the very fidgety redhead. "Look, your fingers are shaking and it's not even cold in here."

"I just," The redhead was at a loss for word. "I dunno. It feels weird, standing here. Besides, the bachelor's party doesn't count when he's attending the exact same one I did!"

Instead of responding to that last statement, the shorter male shrugged. "Not long ago, I was in your shoes. I will say to you what you said to me: Enjoy today. It's for the two of you." Kuroko tapped Kagami's shoulder.

"Yeah." He smiled as he fiddled with his tie one last time to make sure he looked perfect for Aomine. White suit wasn't something he wore often, so this was quite a change. It made him feel somewhat self-conscious, thinking about how well his soon-to-be-husband was going to rock his outfit.

As if reading his mind, Kuroko cut in. "You look great, Kagami-kun. Don't worry."

"Yeah, yeah. I got this. I got this." He exhaled nervously. "Dammit, why am I so nervous? It's just Ahomine..."

"The very same man who's about to be your husband."

"Kuroko, stop that! I feel like I'm gonna throw up. Ow, my stomach. Urrp! Toilet. Toilet!" Just like that, the redhead stormed into the closest bathroom, leaving Kuroko to stare blankly at him. Quietly, he hoped that Aomine was faring a little better than him.

.

"Just one last touch... and..." Satsuki pinned a blue flower to his left suit pocket. "Perfect! You're ready to go, Dai-chan! You look so good."

In response, the blunette tugged on his tight collar and frowned, but didn't do it too roughly in fear of ruining his getup. His father was behind him near the door, smiling fondly at Aomine who caught glimpse of him. "Stop staring." He muttered.

"I can't help it." Kazuhiro laughed. "I never thought I'd see the day you'd get married."

"I mean, neither can I. It feels so damn surreal." He grumbled as Satsuki got dragged away by the make-up artist so they could discuss something in the corner. As a fidget, he flattened the back of his suit and checked his figure in the mirror. "You're okay with it?"

"With what?"

"Me and Taiga. No matter what, you're still a Japanese and most of us are... well, traditional, I guess. I just didn't think you'd agree so easily."

The elder sighed. "You're not going to listen to me anyway. I didn't want to waste my breath."

That made Aomine short. "Yeah, you're not wrong."

"Besides, if it wasn't for Taiga, I wouldn't be standing here with you. It'll probably be Satsuki's parents in my stead. He's done so much for me, personally. And for you too, I'd wager." His eyes softened even though he still looked a little distant. "I'm tired of fighting with you."

Aomine stared at the mirror where he could see his father looking at the ground.

"You know..." He stared, voice cracking just a little. "I'm really sorry. For everything that I've done."

There was silence for a moment while Satsuki moved on with the hairstylist to another room so they could pick some other trinket for Aomine to wear.

"If I hadn't been so stupid, Yoko would still be here. She'd be so proud of you, son. I can just picture it. She'd be running around with Satsuki trying to make this a perfect wedding."

Aomine hung his head low.

After a few more seconds elapsed, Kazuhiro exhaled and uncrossed his arms. "Well, anyway. I'll—"

"I'm coming back to Japan for two weeks after this." He cut. "Let's... visit her."

"Ah." Kazuhiro widened his eyes but a smile grew on his face. "Yes. Let's."

.

Instead of a normal indoor wedding, the pair opted for an outdoor one where they were surrounded by lavish garden, flowers and hedges trimmed perfectly for the occasion. Garden lanterns decorated the space, creating light during the evening. On the very front was a gazebo with an altar. The louvre roof was decorated in vines and peonies, red roses, orchids that lightly blew in the breeze.

Many guests occupied the many outdoor seats spread in a cone in front of the altar. Champagnes and snacks were carted around by the waiters and waitresses. The excited voices of kids could be heard as they played near the water fountain and crushing some dried branches under their feet.

"Aomine-kun had always been a huge fan of you, Horikita-san. I believe he owns all of your magazines and AVs." Kuroko, with a glass of sparkling wine in hand, said to the gravure model who had such a charming smile. She reminded him a little of Kise.

"My, I'm so flattered! I'd never thought that someone so popular is my fan. I was really surprised when I received the invitation. I just _had_ to go." Said the ageless woman with a flattering figure that turned a few eyes her way. It was probably the flattering way her pearly white dress hugged her body. Behind her, her two friends were already busy with other Westerners with their minimal English.

"Well, I'm certain he's dying to have all of his magazines signed by you."

"Only if he signs my basketball!" She giggled.

From somewhere next to Kuroko, an elbow nudged him. It was followed by lips near his ear. "Oi, T. Who's that? Introduce me."

"Ah, Jay. This is Horikita Mai-san."

"Mai, for short. Hello, Jay-san." With her adorably broken English, she extended her hand that was met with a very dazzled ex-Timberwolves player.

"H-Hi," He grinned, obviously charmed. "Can I grab you a drink, Mai?"

"A drink?"

"He means alcohol." Kuroko translated.

"I see! Okay. Please." She delightfully bobbed on the spot before she was carted away by the recently single Jay. With a small shrug, the lithe male walked back to his old Seirin friends who also got invited, all travel paid for. 

They spent a few times catching up and talking to each other with glee before the actual ceremony began. The guests promptly took a seat while the media followed the carpet to see Kagami walking towards the altar with his father. He was donned in a beautiful white suit with red lapels that had golden vine trimmings on them. The left side of his hair had been brushed back while preserving the natural spikes.

Not too far behind him was Aomine with a matching white suit, but with blue lapels instead of red. His fringe was short, slightly spiked and he looked clean. The brightness of the fabric contrasted his dark skin which made him stick out even more. He, too, had his father with him.

The two met at the altar where they stared at each other tentatively with a pair of nervous eyes. Suddenly, the outdoor area felt like it closed in on them. They could scarcely breathe.

Kagami gave Aomine a shy smile that was mirrored albeit with a whole lot of awkwardness. He didn't know how to act when it mattered most. Well, not like he ever knew how to appropriately react to anything, ever. It didn't help that the whole 200-something people were observing them, some even holding out their cameras. He knew for a fact that Satsuki was. She was also probably crying.

"Taiga," He started, holding a note that Satsuki, Midorima and Kise helped him to write. He still couldn't get over how ridiculous it sounded. "You came into my life with as much force as LeBron James' dunks." The guests laughed at that. "You saw me at my lowest point and you helped me without expecting anything in return. You crashed into my insecurities like Shaq would his defenders."

Kagami was practically in tears from holding back laughter at this point, along with his nerve and overflowing emotions.

"You reminded me how to live again, how to breathe, how to smile and most importantly," He sighed. "How to love." His voice now began to crack as he grabbed Kagami's right hand. "I'll never forget the most important thing you taught me—that no matter how hopeless things might be, it can be fixed if you truly want to and you'll come out a stronger person. I promise I'll never take you for granted. I'll be as loyal as Kobe Bryant was to the Lakers." He smiled, tears now dropping from the corner of his eyes when he saw Kagami's brilliant face. "I promise I'll spend my life with you until my dying breath." The last few words were uttered in an almost incomprehensible jumble thanks to the emotion that overflowed inside him. He suspected that he would never regain his composure if it wasn't for Kagami forcing him to look up.

"Daiki," He whispered weakly into the microphone. "The first time I met you, I thought I'd hate you as much as the public did Dennis Rodman." Upon hearing the very similar basketball-related wedding vow, everyone once again chuckled. "Arrogant, conceited, self-centred asshole who always, _always_ rubbed me the wrong way."

Aomine couldn't hold back a snort even amidst the tears.

"We fought, we punched each other, we argued all day. However, that frustration was exactly why I always feel at home with you. With you, I never had to worry about being polite or being someone who I'm not. When we met again in Los Angeles, I stepped back on you harder than James Harden would his threes but you didn't give up on me. You gave me another chance even when I lied and hurt you." Kagami was all snotty at this point, but there was an immovable grin on his face. Especially after he saw that Aomine was laughing.

"So thank you for waiting for me. I promise to stay by your side for as long as my body would allow me to, because if there's one thing I love as much as basketball, it's being with you."

Their glassy eyes met this time and with the notes out of the way, there was nothing but each other's fingers. They held each other tightly like their lives depending on it before Aomine kissed Kagami's knuckles and captured his lips. The two sucked in a breath of disbelief as they revelled in the sweet moment of finally being together for life. While they knew there wouldn't be any other aside from each other, this ceremony only made that so much more real.

Everyone stood up and cheered for the couple with glee. Flower petals were spread by the now grown-up Lily and Millie. Both men laughed before they went for the champagnes and lifted the glasses up in the air.

"Well, now that the sappy part is over, let's drink ourselves stupid!" Aomine jabbed his hand up abruptly, making the liquid spill. The guests cheered at the Aomine-like closing sentence before some of them rushed to the married's sides to congratulate them. One of them was...

"Congratulations, Aomine-san! I'm a big fan." The woman with low-cut dress that showed off her assets grabbed the blunette's hands.

"M-M—" He stammered. "Mai-chan... You actually came. Oh my god. This isn't real. I'm like, your biggest fan. Can we take a selfie? Please?"

"Of course! And me too, if you don't mind." The significantly shorter model squished her breasts against Aomine's arm unconsciously as he snapped a shaky selfie. Then, she did the same too. "Hold on, let me post this on my Twitter." She looked up at him. "If you don't mind?"

"Tag me!" The athlete replied perhaps a bit too eagerly.

"Alright!" Mai giggled as she opened up the app and started typing in Japanese

 **@Maichan  
**Attending @AomineDaiki's big day. So honoured to meet this legend ⋆ටᆼට⋆

"Fuck. This is like, dream come true. You have no idea. Can I have a hug?"

"One hug coming right up!" The beautiful model buried her face in Aomine's chest and hummed appreciatively. "Ah, sorry. I hope I'm not stealing your new husband, Kagami-san?" She glanced next to her but the guy already disappeared. "Eh?"

In the corner, everyone could spot Kagami shaking someone's hand furiously. The recently retired Giannis Antetokounmpo stood there, resulting in the redhead's googly eyes and beet-red face. The barrage of _oh my god, oh my god, it's you in flesh_ could be heard even from miles away while Aomine's attention was stolen by Allen Iverson.

Suffice to say, it was one hell of a night for the basketball nerds.

.

The next season of basketball was around the corner but that didn't stop Aomine and Kagami from taking one week off so they could go to Japan for their honeymoon. They promised everyone that they'd keep doing the workout routine assigned to them and return in time for pre-season to kick off. Everyone trusted the couple because it was public knowledge that they only had each other and basketball in that tiny heads of theirs. Who else would be okay with signing contracts with such little money, otherwise?

In another team, the two could easily make double what they were making right now. However, they consistently rejected those offers no matter how much higher they climbed due to their achievements. It was as if once they had a taste of playing together once more, they couldn't get enough of it. And they weren't the only ones either. Everyone didn't want them to part ways. No matter which team they played for, the public wanted them to keep shining together.

"Hn... ah!" Kagami threw his head back upon feeling Aomine's fingers squeezing his buttocks with such passion. That didn't stop him from moving his hips, however. With every movement, the redhead impaled himself further on Aomine's cock. 

"Holy shit, your ass—" The dark-skinned male threw his head back. "Is so fucking tight, babe. You're gonna cut my dick off. Ease up."

"Good. You deserve it." Despite feeling an unbearable amount of pleasure, Kagami quipped, making Aomine snort. With small pulses, he clenched around Aomine and moaned loudly the moment his prostate was brushed. The redhead bit his lower lip when he felt hotness swirling on the tip of his dick, signifying that he was about to come undone.

Aomine noticed the look. Grabbing Kagami's hips, he pulled out and then slammed himself back in. He repeated it a few more times until he could clearly see Kagami drooling and teary. No matter how many times he gazed upon such lustful look, he'd never get enough of it. Such a well-fucked, wanton expression that drove Aomine insane.

It didn't come as a surprise that he felt a spurt of cum coating his nude chest because he did the exact same thing too, but deep inside Kagami's ass. The sticky semen was so hot, Kagami shuddered.

When they came down from their high, the redhead sighed and then swore when he realised that Aomine once again talked him out of using a condom. With a grunt, he stood up and headed for the toilet before the cum had any chance to dry out.

"Sorry, Taigaaa..." The blunette said unapologetically. "I'll help you, so don't sulk." Somehow and someway, Aomine gathered enough energy to stand up and trail after the grumpy Kagami into the toilet. Intentionally, he bumped his naked chest against Kagami's back once they were inside the shower. Then, he intertwined their fingers together.

Kagami glanced down at where their hands touched and saw the rings glimmering under the light. Just the sight of it was enough to make him giddy.

"I've told the principal that we're visiting tomorrow to take over the basketball team practice." Aomine said while nuzzling Kagami's neck. The cold water felt amazing running down his body. "Think those runts got anything cool to show?"

"Dunno. We'll be in for a surprise."

"Maybe some future NBA prospects?"

"Pssh. Not everyone can be monsters like you."

The mention of 'monster' made Aomine curl his lips.

"Sorry, sorry." Knowing what a sore spot his husband had for that nickname, Kagami rubbed his wet blue locks. "You know I love your basketball. Maybe more than I love you."

"Fuck you." Aomine bit down on Kagami's neck and slapped his butt. "Go clean up yourself, then."

"Daiki!" He laughed the moment Aomine grabbed a towel and slammed the door shut. "Love you!"

"Whatever, doofus!" The other male exclaimed from the other room.

.

As per schedule, the two ended up visiting Touou along with Susa, Imayoshi, Wakamatsu and Sakurai who took the day off so they could spend some time with their old teammates.

Looked like the high school team was doing great, considering the two new championship trophies now decorating the achievement cabinet. One was from five years ago and the other, from two. Everyone observed them with nostalgic eyes as the principal showed them some of the game footage that was quite great.

It proved to be difficult to navigate through the school, however. Literally all the students lined up to take a look at the two extremely popular NBA players. Both of them spent a few hours humouring selfie requests, handshakes and signings. Not only them, most people from the neighbourhood even heard of the news and flooded Touou along with media trucks, leading to the school contacting the closest police station so they could handle the mess.

It only amused Aomine and Kagami, though. They had permanent grins on their faces as they talked to the fans. Though they couldn't deny how tiring it was to constantly answer questions. Aomine's mood magically didn't turn sour, though Kagami suspected that it was because his soft spots for the kids.

"You're gonna win again this year, right?" Someone asked from the sea of uncontrollable bodies.

"You bet." Aomine grinned. "Can't lose with this guy around. Right, Tai?" He then nudged his husband with his elbow.

"Hell yeah! We're here for the back-to-back. Let's get as many rings as we can."

"Hall of fame?"

Kagami's eyes twinkled. "Hall of fame."

"Now go back to your classes, runts!" Yelled Aomine, much to everyone's dismay. With the teachers' help, they managed to restore some semblance of order as the pair made their way to the gym along with their old teammates.

Some friendly 3-on-3 was in order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY GUYS! An update a day before the usual, but here you go! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'll be writing tonnes of extra chapters, hopefully, but after this one, it's a wrap! Thanks so much for sticking with the fic ;) one more!
> 
> Some basketball fun facts for those who don't follow the scene! (Referenced in the marriage vows)  
> 1\. LeBron is one of the most powerful dunkers in the history of NBA  
> 2\. Shaq... is Shaq. He'd run everyone over like they're bowling pins (and he destroyed so many basketball hoops and backboards through the sheer force of his dunk it's actually fucking impressive)  
> 3\. Kobe Bryant stayed with the Lakers his entire career until his last moment (bless his heart)  
> 4\. Dennis Rodman was the 'bad boy' of the NBA who was in the Detroit Pistons (which, at the time, consist of bad boys who weren't afraid to body you and hurt you real bad in court). Not many really liked him. He's one of the big 3 powerhouses in MJ era's Chicago Bulls along with Scottie Pippen  
> 5\. James Harden is the king of stepback 3 (stepback taken from the 3-point line)  
> 6\. Giannis Antetokounmpo aka the Greek Freak aka my NBA crush has such a fascinating story. He's one of the best in the league currently and won back-to-back MVP, beating LeBron  
> 7\. Allen Iverson is Aomine's favourite NBA player. He's a shorter guy but can make 'freestyle' shots. His handles is crazy and he broke some ankles too. He didn't like practice and he dressed however the hell he wanted. He doesn't really give a shit about what people think about him which is part of why everyone rallies around him (ah, yes... my Allen poster next to my Giannis one~ my 2 favourite NBA players)
> 
> Anyway, enough of that! Stay safe everyone and hopefully I see you next chapter~
> 
> BTW!! [I made a playlist if you guys wanna hear it! This is for part 1 (high school) only](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVp0cn6TcMCkQ1-1jZQ61wLxXJ2WCuQiY)


	42. Bonus: Grand Exit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi bitches im back  
> ENJOY !! <3

If you only had one day left to live, how would you choose to live it?

.

Flashing lights. Distinct murmurs. The clicking sound of cameras.

Those were far too familiar now for Taiga and Daiki who somehow grew accustomed to the attention. _Relished_ in it, even. It wasn't that they loved being the centre of attention. It was the fact that they knew they served as an inspiration to the younger generation; especially of their nationality. That was something they proudly wore as a badge, and because of the fans that said how much they admired them, they wanted to strive even harder to be the best they could be.

However, good things must come to an end.

The crowd of reporters immediately erupted upon seeing the married pair entering the press conference room and settling down on their seats. Behind them was a backdrop of LA Lakers logo—a team they called home for the past decade or so.

Taiga glanced sideways to his husband who nodded at him and gripped his hand under the desk reassuringly.

"Hey." Said the dark-skinned male in an attempt to hush the eager bunch. It took a few seconds for them to finally settle down. "We've been here so much, but I'm still not good at it." Aomine chuckled, followed by the reporters. "So I'll get to the point. Taiga and I..." He exhaled. "We're retiring."

Silence fell.

Then it came. Everyone pointed their mics at the pair while screaming out incoherent questions that they couldn't catch.

"Don't worry!" Taiga interrupted, and attempt which thankfully bore fruit. "We'll see this through. There is no way we'll miss the finals. We'll give you guys our best game and go out with a bang. Mamba mentality!"

"Mamba mentality." Aomine agreed wholeheartedly. "We'll give you guys a show and get that trophy. Final and last time for us."

Once again, questions were thrown their way like bad passes, but eventually, Kagami pointed at a familiar female reporter and nodded. With a beam, she stood up.

"What's the reason for your retirement? I understand that you have been dealing with Achilles injuries, Taiga, but Daiki is still fit. Even though he's aging, his experience with playoffs would be invaluable for the rookies."

"I'll take this one." Aomine smiled gently at Kagami, not forgetting to pat his back. "I've been playing basketball for as long as I can remember. I loved it. The thrill of going up against awesome opponents, not knowing if you'll win or lose. Each game was always different and... it was crazy, y'know? All that adrenaline." He grinned just thinking about it. However, it didn't last for very long as it was soon replaced with a frown. "But I wasn't satisfied with it. I wanted more. _More._. The game became monotone the moment I realised that most highschoolers in Japan only take basketball as a hobby. I had no challenger left the moment I took one step too far."

Kagami gazed at Aomine sadly. Those days felt like so long ago, but the memory was still fresh in his head. Cocky Aomine who thought he was better than everyone else. It terrified Kagami to imagine that had he given up on the blunette back then, things would've been very, _very_ different now.

"But then this guy appeared." Aomine playfully shoved his husband who immediately snapped out of it. "He single-handedly kicked me back to shape and gave me the challenge I really wanted. I'm not exaggerating when I say that he breathed life into me."

"Y-you're so lame..." Flustered, Kagami muttered.

With a chuckle, he continued. "This guy right here?" He pointed at himself. "If my partner hadn't come along, I'd be rotting in my 9-5 job, bored out of my mind with a part of my heart ripped out of me." Said Aomine firmly. His voice was unwavering and there was a fire burning in his eyes that enchanted everyone in the room. "What I'm saying is that my basketball journey really started when he came into the picture, and it's only right that I end it when he does. Because there would be no Daiki without Taiga."

That rendered everyone present speechless. They merely stared at the passionate athlete in front of them with mouths slightly agape. The microphones they held hung limp on their hands as they tried to gather their thoughts, but failed.

"And... there would be no Taiga without Daiki." Said Kagami quietly. However, it was loud enough for the entire room to hear. "You were the first person who pushed me past my breaking point. All those months I spent trying to be a worthy rival to you was what brought me here. It was selfish. Initially, I wasn't thinking about you. It was all for _me_ , but before I knew it, I was doing it for you too." Kagami paused, pursing his lips to moisturise them. "I wanted us to be the craziest thing that everyone had ever seen. Not only in Japan, but the entire damn world. And I guess it worked. Because here we are."

Aomine stared at Kagami wide-eyed. This wasn't something they ever discussed. Expressing their emotions, especially their vulnerabilities wasn't something they did often, so the confession hit him like a truck.

"So for anyone who still think we're gross just because we're partners, you all can go shove a fat one up your ass."

And that was enough for the slightly taller male to snort and the ice to be melted. The reporters immediately began to ask some more questions again that the two answered for the rest of the conference.

.

The street was painted in purple and gold.

Large homemade signs containing illegible letters were carted, pointed up at the sky where a news helicopter flew. The noise of the blades was audible even from the Staples centre entrance, but it was merely a drop in the bucket comparing to the chaos of avid basketball fans chanting their favourite team's name like it was a mantra.

Suffice to say, the ticket was sold out. It was a full house with audiences travelling from all across the states, and for some, the countries. Outside the gates, those who looked to turn a profit sold their copies to those who didn't have one for double or triple the price. No complaints were given, though. No matter how inflated the prices were, there was bound to be someone wanting it.

On the blank stadium outer wall was a projected image of the Lakers starting lineup and to the right side of the entrance was the Celtics. This was the _big_ day. After a gruelling match over the past couple of weeks, the two teams were tied at 3-3. Today's game would dictate the winner.

The image shifted. On the left side was no Daiki doing a crossover while on the right, Taiga doing his signature dunk. After waves of mild injuries that severely limited their playing time, it was said that today, they were granted permission to play for almost the entire game. Because after all, this was their last game of their career.

The two announced their retirement plan just a couple of days ago. It came as an absolute surprise, but not at the same time, considering that they were now at the ripe age in basketball standards.

"Let's go Lakers!" Someone in the crowd screamed out on top of his lungs the moment the stadium was opened. A sea of humans barrelled into the arena where the final game was about to take place.

Thankfully, the ex-athletes had free pass to walk through the backdoor. Kuroko and the others were already sitting with their snacks at the ready by the time everyone poured inside. Kise was the first to stand up and take photos while Alex seemed absolutely giddy with her number 10 Lakers jersey. Satsuki was doing no better too as she was practically bouncing up and down her seat wearing jersey in Aomine's number.

Midorima pulled down his Lakers hat while he snacked on some fries. Murasakibara and Himuro were there too, snacking along while Akashi was talking to some sort of celebrity sitting next to him. All of them talked amongst themselves just like old friends would as they waited for the teams to make an appearance.

The moment the light dimmed and spotlights began scattering, they knew the moment was nigh. Their focus, as well as everybody else's, immediately went to the gap between the section of the seats where players began walking into the court.

The moment Kagami and Aomine made an appearance, the crowd went ballistic. Signs were held up to celebrate the two players who made basketball such an exciting time for years. If the two had once tried to shirk away from the attention, they now basked in it. They hopped into the court while trying to hype everyone up even more. The rest of their teammates shook their heads at their antics but did it in a fond manner.

"Dai-chan!" Satsuki eagerly waved at her childhood friend who winked at her with the promise of winning it all.

"Satsuki, you may hurt yourself if you keep it up." Said Kuroko with a bemused tone as he tried to ease his wife back to a sitting position.

"Kick some ass, Taiga! Wahoo!" Alex fistpumped the air upon landing sight on her precious pupil who had grown up. If anyone told her that Kagami would be here right now, well, she would've believed them. But not in her wildest imagination did she imagine that it would get to this point. And she couldn't get any prouder of him. And Aomine too. The two squirts she tutored all those years ago had realised their true potential and it was mesmerising.

No one doubted that the double ace would put up one hell of a fight tonight. It was never their modus operandi to half-ass at the one thing that was practically their entire life. Seeing the searing fire that they produced only excited everyone even more.

.

Falling into the zone had never felt any better than this.

In the past four or so years, they had been able to easily slip in and out of it at will. The sight never ceased to mesmerise anyone who witnessed it. If it was even possible, the two understood the other's basketball even more now and the limitless possibilities only sparked their fire even more.

If this was to be their game, they might as well go _nuts_.

Only five minutes into the first quarter, Aomine opened the gate. As always, Kagami was next to him. Together, they plunged into the deep where no one could touch them. This was their safe haven. This was a space where they were invincible.

"Already?" One of their teammates widened his eyes the moment they saw Kagami and Aomine charging forward quietly with a ball in hand. Their paths converged momentarily before they parted again to attack the paint together. If there was one thing that was a surefire death for the opposing team, that was it. The two had never been great at three-pointers, but mid-range and the paint were places they were right at home in.

"D! Where's the D!?" The Celtics members yelled out as they tried their hardest to box out the starving beasts about to tear their jugulars.

And so the dance began. All the while, Kagami and Aomine sank deeper into the depth. Their bodies were so light, so weightless and it felt like they could fly.

Aomine's ball-handling skill proved to be too much for his defender. With a feint, he broke past the younger male and tossed the ball right into Kagami's waiting hand.

And it was beautiful. The arch; the trajectory of the shot was perfect. The layup sloshed into the net just like that.

 _"This is it."_ Aomine whispered the moment they reached the bottom. _"Our last game."_

Kagami turned to his partner and quirked the corner of his lips into a smirk. _"Let's go out with a bang."_

Suddenly, they saw white. Blinding ray of light that poured from the depth, enveloping their darkness in its embrace before it died down into a warm glow. When their feet touched the surface, they saw that the gate was open—the one that had been shut tight all this time, it was wide open, practically inviting them.

So they went in together.

.

Their victory was written in stone the moment everyone bore witness to _that_. It was a blowout, no doubt about it. Not only did the two aces tear the court with their 200%, but they were also absolutely relentless in their defence too.

Aomine took any and everyone opportunity to tip the ball loose when it was the Celtics' possession and the number of blocks Kagami had was simply sickening. Everyone knew they were damn good, but no one thought that they could get even _better_.

It was only after the trophy was carted that the two seemed to snap out of it. They looked around the stadium in awe at how the crowd chanted their names. Their teammates, too, were all over them. Satsuki was among the audience, bawling her eyes out with Kise. The rest were clapping for their friends in a standing ovation.

It was a beautiful victory. One that would go down in the history book as one of the most impressive showings of all time.

They fulfilled the promise they made that they'd play their heart out and exit with a bang. The trophy on their hands was the living proof of that. Because their career might be over, but they weren't.

And they would never be.

.

With you.


	43. The Us of The Future

There was a new attraction in town.

Well, maybe not so much an attraction as it was a place that everyone wanted to visit which one would argue made it an attraction. During the first day of its opening, many people flocked to the site to take a look at a couple of basketball legends who would most likely carve their names into the Hall of Fame after close to twenty seasons they played in the NBA.

Aomine Daiki, four times league MVP, three times finals MVP, six championship wins, 12 all-star appearances.

Kagami Taiga, three times league MVP, three times finals MVP, six championship wins, 10 all-star appearances.

Their last game was nothing short of phenomenal. Claiming their sixth championship victory, Kagami had a triple-double with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists while his husband Aomine got a stunning 62 points and 6 steals. Both of them totalled 91 points to their team's total score of 125.

Everyone was stunned by the performance put forth by the pair. They played like they were in their prime of 25 years old instead of the 38 years old veteran basketballers they were. However, it was a given, considering the rumour that the pair were going to retire after their three-years extension with the Lakers.

Both of them lifted the trophy together with huge grins decorating their faces worn down by age and both of them had proudly proclaimed: "As the rumours said, this is our last season. I can't be more proud of what we have achieved and we thank you for all of your support. Our basketball journey really started together and it's only right that we end it together."

All the other Miracles were watching too. Kise, retired at the age of 27. Murasakibara, 29. Midorima, 30 due to a severe shoulder injury (from carrying his team too much, Aomine said). Himuro, 35. Akashi, 35. Kuroko, 36.

In the end, everyone but Kise ended up with at least championship win, which only embittered the poor blonde.

"Whoa, Kagamicchi. This is awesome!" The said blonde widened his eyes when he saw the brand-new indoor basketball facility with two full courts. The smell of polished wood and the sea lingered in the air, making him hum appreciatively. "You picked a prime location. It's so close to your place and the beach. You'll have tonnes of customers for sure!"

"Considering the amount of people lining up outside? I'd wager the same too." Midorima nodded, arms crossed.

"I hope you don't mind us dropping by every now and then." Akashi added. It was clear that he was no less impressed with how clean this place looked.

"Do what you want. Consider this your place as much as it's ours." Aomine grined with both his hands on his hips.

"Let's go, Daiki. It's almost time." Kagami took a peek outside through the keyhole and suddenly, his whole body stiffened. "...Holy crap. Why is there like, a hundred people outside?"

"Because they're all eager to sign up to your basketball classes, obviously!" Satsuki jumped gleefully. The idea of basketball tutoring wasn't something new. In fact, the two boys had discussed it with her time and time again. However, to see it coming to a fruition was even more delightful than she could ever imagine. "Two hall of famers offering basketball classes. Come on, you have to be mad to not at least check it out!"

"The ceremony is in four years. Even then, we still might not make it." Kagami rationalised.

"You really think you won't?" Kuroko blinked. "Public consensus has it that you two have a 98% chance to get your names called. I can't think of anyone else who has made the game of basketball so exciting in recent years."

"Still..." The redhead blushed.

In response, Aomine snorted and put his arm around Kagami's neck. "C'mon, just open the damn door already. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we get put out of our misery."

"I know, I know!" Kagami ducked out of the headlock to take a deep breath. "Alright, then. Here goes nothing." With a loud exhale, he took a step forward and pushed the double door open.

Their journey together might have come to an end, but it was time for another one.

.

The pitter-patter of rain brought with it the smell of petrichor. Painting the large windowpane with droplets of water that slid down to the Earth, it only served as a reflection of the orange sky clouded with stormy cloud that blanketed Santa Monica.

The beach was empty. Their backyard with an outdoor hot tub over a wooden patio and covered in flat ceiling was dirtied with fallen leaves carried away by the strong wind.

Kagami placed his reading glasses on the coffee table and snapped the biography of LeBron James closed. His red eyes stared at the reflective surface of their large flat-screen TV over a fireplace thoughtfully before he took one look outside. A storm was coming and Aomine had yet to return.

With a pensive expression, he forced himself to stand up, grabbed an umbrella and headed on out to the rain.

There was a hidden space behind their spacious backyard. It was covered with shrubs, but if one bothered to pay enough attention, they'd see the stepping stones leading to a wooden gate covered in vines. It was a small space of 3 metres squared, but it was a place that Aomine treasured. 

Even though he hated to bother his husband during this particular day, he approached the area anyway.

The sound of the gate creaking didn't even deter the blunette who sat over the wet grass. The large tree next to him might have shielded him from most of the rain, but he was still drenched from head to toe. His head was slumped and in front of him was a small mound surrounded with white stones. Over the sign was a red collar and the writing 'Maru' was carved into the small headstone.

"Daiki, let's go back inside. Diner's almost ready"

"A sec." Through the raspy voice, Kagami could hear a slight break.

"Okay." He crouched next to his husband to share his umbrella.

"I miss her."

"I know you do." The idea of 'let's get a new cat' was never spoken. Kagami knew that no other pet would ever be able to replace Aomine's sweet little princess who had to be put down last year.

Aomine took a deep breath as he slowly stood up. The redhead followed. "Alright. Let's go."

It was almost surreal that the moment they crossed the gate, Aomine's face brightened again like nothing ever happened. Deep down, Kagami believed that it was because the bluehead had emptied out his tear ducts, considering his swollen eyes, but he didn't want to dampen the mood. What Aomine needed right now wasn't someone who pitied him anyway.

"What's for dinner?" He asked the moment they reached dry space.

"Teriyaki burger."

"Hell yeah! Let me take a shower first." With vigour, he made a beeline to the bathroom upstairs.

Kagami didn't have to wait too long. He prepared the mash potatoes and salad while Aomine cleaned himself up. When the taller male was finished, everything was ready. The two sat on the dark brown dining table. Above it was three hanging lights emitting warm glow on their hot food that brought a huge smile on Aomine's face.

"Diggin' in!" He cut the burger with a knife and popped it into his mouth where he proceeded to hum appreciatively. "Hell yeah. That's what I'm talkin' about."

Seeing such jovial expression made Kagami shake his head. He, too, started to do a number on his food. While his portions remained big, he found that he could no longer eat as much as he once could. While he munched on the buttery mashed potatoes and green beans, he stole a glance at his husband.

Aomine was still beautiful even at 38 years old. The wrinkles on his face were more prominent now more than ever, but that didn't make him any less charming. His hair was now kept short, trimmed at the back near his neck and his figure remained athletic. Life really tended to pass before their very eyes, it seemed. It was almost 10 years since they got married at the age of 28, but the love between them was still strong. Kagami could envision him really spending the remainder of his life head over heels for this man.

He placed his cutleries on the plate, making a little clinking noise as he did so. "Hey."

"Mm?" With his mouth full of food, Aomine looked up.

"Do you want to adopt a kid? Or surrogate, maybe?"

The blunette was taken aback at the sudden proposition but his eyes softened almost immediately. "Yeah. I wanna do surrogate. I'll find a donor who looks like you. Wild red hair and all." He grinned.

"Then it's only right if we get two. I'll find one who looks like _you_."

"Good luck getting someone this sexy." He flexed his arms as he said that.

"Dork." Kagami grinned. "Just go eat. Gotta go over the notes tomorrow for the new kids. Oh, also, what do you wanna do for our tenth anniversary?"

"Should we do a retirement party as well?"

"Yeah. That'll be a good way to go out." Said Kagami before glancing at their framed jerseys on the wall. Number 15 Miami Heat, number 10 Lakers. Next to them were Aomine's Timberwolves 10 and Lakers 5. Oh, their Touou jerseys, too, were there.

Aomine followed Kagami's line of sight and smiled. "C'mon, retiring isn't the end of the world. We'll still play heaps of basketball, 'kay?" When he saw his husband laughing, he felt relief washing over him.

They finished their food and did the washing up together before they snuggled on the couch to watch some movie with a mug of hot cocoa in their hands.

.

Not even age affected Satsuki. She looked as lovely as ever with her now shoulder-length pink hair and soft skin. After finding success as an assistant coach in Timberwolves, she was hailed as one of the best scouts anyone had ever seen. Year after year, the rookies drafted by the team had been nothing short of sensational, thanks to her insight.

And so, it wasn't odd to see her always being crowded by everyone who wanted to have a piece of her mind. Even right now, Kuroko sat on the bar with Kise while his wife was busy. The now-model came here with his wife too, but just like Satsuki, she was already mingling with other guests.

"You're not out there socialising, Kise-kun."

"Just did. You caught me at the perfect time, Kurokocchi." The blond nudged his friend before taking a sip of his alcoholic beverage. "Aah. Can't believe all of us are retired now."

"It was fun while it lasted." Kuroko's lips formed a small smile.

It was Aomine and Kagami's 10th anniversary along with their retirement party. Together, they invited their old teammates and friends from rival teams that they grew to treasure throughout their career. The men of the hour were obviously out there getting surrounded by a mob of people. Sometimes, they'd see the top of their hair before it disappeared again.

The rest of the Miracles and their spouses hung around on their reserved table chatting about everything. Everyone was honestly surprised that no one ever found out that Himuro and Murasakibara were married, but that was probably thanks to the prior's craftiness.

"Heard you're getting a kid, Dai?" Hakim smacked his back.

"Yeah, man. I'll get them in the NBA too, carry on the legacy." He grinned.

"Hah, you'll be old and wrinkly by the time it happens. Aren't you like, 38?"

The blunette groaned while Kagami laughed. "Don't remind me of my impending death. Oh, hey dude!" He waved when he saw another familiar face that he hadn't seen in a while.

"Grady!" Taiga grinned as cheerfully before stepping into a firm hug. "You made it. Thought you'd be too busy with the missus."

"Managed to get cleaning out of the way. How've you been, man? You too, Daiki. Lookin' dapper. Also, great venue. Love this hotel's food."

"Their meatballs... seriously. I think I ate like 30 of them." The redhead snorted.

"Same ol' Taiga. How do you feed this guy, Dai?" He tapped the other male's shoulder playfully.

Aomine opened his mouth only for Kagami to step on his foot. "Not a single word from you."

"I haven't said anything!"

"You were about to say something inappropriate."

"Whatever. It's the truth." The blunette shrugged nonchalantly.

"Really haven't changed. Loving each other to a fault." Their mutual friend shook his head. "You guys heard what happened to Harvey?"

The mention of his ex no longer sting. His wound had completely closed, so he wasn't even fazed. Blinking, he looked up at Grady. "I haven't kept up with the news. You know, gotta a side biz now."

"Yeah, popular aren't you?" He laughed. "Anyway, he got charged with illegal drug possession or something and also pulling a gun in public."

"Shit." Kagami jerked his head back.

"Yeah. Not exactly a saint even now. At least the Heat's a lot better without those jerks." Said Grady. "Anyway, since there's a line of people waiting to talk to you guys, I'll let you go now. Good seeing you two."

And true enough, when they turned around, there were a lot of people that they had to tend to. So, they did. It was somewhat of a hassle having to mingle like this, but it was only one in a blue moon that they had to, so they sucked it up.

One long, sappy speech later that involved a lot of thank you's to their ex-teammates and coaches, things calmed down significantly.

While they still had a few people occasionally bothering them, most left them alone near the bar. Aomine's face was slightly flustered after a few glasses of alcohol and so were Kagami's. The two shared quiet conversation together, giggling and laughing like children. The conversation ranged to 'that time in highschool' to the movie they watched yesterday. Even after years of being together, they never tire of each other's company.

"Man, this brings back memories." Aomine hummed when the live band played _Can't Help Falling in Love With You_. "Remember the graduation party?"

The redhead also hummed in tandem with his husband while rhythmically tilting his head left and right. "And are you gonna ask me to dance with you?"

"Naw. We're not teenagers anymore. Besides, the song's ending." The bluehead shook his head.

"But look at our buddies. They're being cute." Kagami motioned at Kuroko and Satsuki sharing a moment in the corner. Then, of course, Kise and his wife as well as Midorima with his own wife. Even Himuro and Tatsuya seemed distracted. Their fingers were intertwined even though they were in public.

"And you say I'm the sap." Aomine rolled his eyes. "Fine." He stood up and bowed his body a little before extending his arm. On his right hand was the familiar glimmer of their promise. It twinkled under the dim lighting, making Kagami think that proposing was one of the best decisions he had made in his entire life. "May I have this dance?"

"Maybe, if you're good." He smirked challengingly.

"Come on!"

"I was kidding, Ahomine." With a chuckle, Kagami put his hand on Aomine's, then let his husband kiss his knuckles. "What are we dancing to?" He casually asked while he watched Aomine looking up at him.

"Dunno, whatever they're playing. Probably gonna be something cheesy."

"Just the way you like it." Kagami grinned just in time for the next song to start.

They didn't want to be a spectacle, so they simply stood there in their own little corner, foreheads touching and fingers intertwining. They basked in each other's warmth—one that they suspected they couldn't live without.

_I've seen the world, done it all  
_ _Had my cake now  
_ _Diamonds, brilliant, and Bel Air now_

"Three more months until the baby's due." Kagami whispered despite the loudness of the party venue. They could hear the clinking of glasses and the sound of others having a chat. However, none of that really mattered to them at the moment.

"Yeah. A baby girl, huh? What are we gonna name her?" There was softness in his tone; one that he used far too often now comparing to years ago. Around Kagami, he didn't have to worry about having to keep up his bad boy persona. After all, he already saw Aomine past his tough exterior since they were mere teenagers.

_Hot summer nights, mid-July  
_ _When you and I were forever wild_

Teenagers when they fought, hurt each other and second guessed everything. Teenagers when they thought they had the world in their hands, when in fact they knew nothing. Teenagers when they fell in love and lost each other.

"Let's do some research later. Or tomorrow. We've got plenty of time to figure it out." He answered.

All of them were precious memories that they wouldn't trade for the world. The fact that it wasn't always smooth sailing only made them closer that much quicker.

"The crazy days, city lights. The way you'd play with me like a child." Kagami hummed gently. His deep singing voice had always been quite beautiful.

"Like a child is right. I mean, I destroy you all the time, yeah?"

"Fuck off." Despite the cutting word, the redhead snorted. He was way past taking offence in Aomine's jabs. Nowadays, he'd just laugh and curse at him.

_Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?  
_ _Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul?  
_ _I know you will, I know you will, I know that you will  
_ _Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?_

The two didn't say anything after that. They kept their foreheads pressed together and their bodies close. While silence wasn't something that loomed over them often considering their fiery attitude, but when it did happen, they enjoyed it just as much as their bickering. There was something so very comforting about just enjoying each other's presence in silence. It was also a testament on how much the had grown not only as individuals but as a couple.

_I've seen the world, lit it up as my stage now  
_ _Channelling angels in the new age now_

Who knew that after they separated, they'd meet again? Kagami held out hope that Aomine would eventually come, but some time along the line, he lost sight of it. Especially after what mess he found himself into. Thinking back to it, how uncharacteristic it was of him to let himself be stepped all over by strangers, but he supposed he was at his weakest back then. And when one is mentally unwell, they are far too prone to outside influences.

Aomine could definitely attest to that too. However, through the trials and errors they went through, they emerged out on the other side as stronger individuals. Everything only made their bond that much stronger just because it had been tested time and time again.

_Hot summer days, rock and roll  
_ _The way you'd play for me at your show_

Kagami laced his fingers around his husband's while his other hand rubbed the back of Aomine's neck. Their nose was touching now and they could feel each other's breath ghosting over their lips. It was a scent so familiar; one that they loved.

"And all the ways I got to know your pretty face and electric soul..." He hummed once again only to be rewarded by a soft snort.

"I'm pretty, am I? Thought I'm more of the sexy type."

_Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?  
_ _Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul?_

"Shut up, idiot. You're so good at ruining the moment." Kagami rolled his eyes.

Many people still had yet to notice the men of the hour dancing alone near the now-unattended bar. A few keen eyes like Akashi, Kuroko, Satsuki and Himuro could see it, though.

"What, do you want me to sing too?" The blunette nuzzled Kagami's cheek before sliding his face up so he could kiss his husband's nose.

_I know you will, I know you will, I know that you will  
_ _Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?_

"And they say chivalry is dead." Kagami joked as they continued to gently sway to the melody. With the bass trembling the room and shaking their hearts, Kagami kissed Aomine's ear.

"You asked for it, so if you call me a sap, I'll whack your ass."

"Try me, dickhead."

As if on cue, Aomine squeezed a handful of Kagami's buttcheek, making the redhead groan in want. There was a lot of promise of being fucked three ways to Sunday through that motion alone.

_Dear Lord, when I get to heaven  
_ _Please, let me bring my man  
_ _When he comes, tell me that You'll let him in  
_ _Father, tell me if You can_

And Kagami would never admit it, but he loved Aomine's singing voice. It was deep, husky, breathy and honestly, it always made him kinda horny. This man was blessed by the sexiest voice he had ever heard and it was simply unfair.

"All that grace," The blunette hummed before opening his eyes and, "all that _body,_ " darting his tongue across his lips. "All that face makes me wanna party."

Instead of being flattered, Kagami snorted in amusement. Some things just never change. However, he wasn't prepared for the sudden softness that made itself apparent on Aomine's enchanting blue eyes.

"He's my sun," The blunette breathed as he pressed his forehead against Kagami's once more, "he makes me shine like diamonds..."

_Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?  
_ _Will you still love me when I got nothin' but my aching soul?_

Something inside Kagami wanted to say that, no, the sentiment was his to echo. Without Aomine, he'd just be another athlete awfully lost in such a big world. Perhaps there would be someone else that would've taken Aomine's spot had he not been there, but Kagami didn't want anyone else.

_I know you will, I know you will, I know that you will  
_ _Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?_

Of course they would.

.

It was the perfect weather to play at the beach. In fact, the seagulls were practically crying out their names in an attempt to somehow pull them outside. However, despite the sun and warmth, a blue tuft of hair could be found buried under a huge pile of duvet and blanket. Aomine might hate the cold, but damn if he was going to miss out on being wrapped under the blankets. So, they turned on the AC last night and even though it was now off, the cold was still there, making it even cosier to hide and never wake up.

That was until a figure cannonballed itself towards him and landed smack bang on his chest, making him scream half in shock and pain.

A pair of beautiful red eyes greeted him. Make it two. Kagami appeared on the doorframe wearing his favourite tiger apron that said 'GAO!' at the front.

"It's time to have breakfast, Daiki."

"Papa! Breakfast!" The darker-skinned young girl bounced on his chest with a jovial smile as she slapped her tiny palms on his chest. Her hair was wild just like Kagami's even though it had his darker colour. Not quite blue, though.

The blunette feigned pain at the abuse. "Okay, princess... you're too strong for me. Can you please stand up so papa can get out of bed?"

"Carry me!" She raised both her arms in the air.

"Deal." Aomine grabbed his daughter's waist and lifted her up high, making her squeal in excitement. He placed her on his piggyback while keeping a tight grip on her wrists. "Brrrrr!" He made a whirring noise of an airplane as he buzzed out of the bedroom past the very amused Kagami and towards the dining room.

"Where's your sister, Hana?" Kagami asked as Aomine settled with their daughter on the seat.

"In the loo!" She answered excitedly. "I think she's taking a... a..." The girl put a finger on his lips, frowning just like Aomine would. "Taking a shit!"

"Daiki!" Kagami snapped his head towards Aomine, absolutely scandalised.

"H-hey, she learned it herself! Don't blame me." He retorted defensively.

"Listen, Hana. Don't say that word, okay? If you do, you won't get sunny-side up egg." At the whine, Kagami glared at his husband. "You too."

"What!?"

As if on cue, another little girl emerged out of the toilet. She shuffled her way towards the table. Her hair was of a reddish hue but unlike Hana, hers was a lot softer. "Papa." She shyly tugged on her skirt. "My hair..."

"Of course, princess. Come here."

The sight of Aomine very gently handling a small child made Kagami smile. It was true that their two beautiful daughters absolutely _loved_ Aomine. Sometimes, Kagami was envious of how much affection he received, but considering how good of a parent his husband was, he thought that it was well-deserved.

As the redhead put on four servings of breakfast, Aomine tied Rena's hair into two buns. It was so silky, it took the dark-skinned male a while before he could really secure it. That was thanks to Satsuki, really. She taught him everything he needed to know about handling straight, slippery hair. As for Hana, it was easy to put her messy hair on pigtails and give her a plastic headband with glitter.

"Tetsu said he's coming later."

"Oh yeah, Tatsuya's visiting too. They happen to be in the area."

"Uncle Tetsu! Auntie Satsu!" Hana cheered. Unlike her, Rena was a lot more reserved. She probably got that attitude through the amount of times she would play puzzle with Kuroko and Satsuki.

"I wonder if they will bring another puzzle..." Rena muttered softly.

"I'm sure they will." Kagami patted his daughter's head. "What was the animal you did last time?"

"A... a giraffe. And a zebra." She replied just as quietly. "I want a parrot next."

"Will uncle Atsushi bring sweets again, papa?" Hana tugged on Kagami's pajama pants. "Ahh, let's visit his shop again! I wanna eat strawberry cake."

"Too much sweets isn't good for you, Hana." The redhead grabbed his daughter and lifted her up, making her giggle. "But if you promise to eat your greens, then papa will buy you a strawberry shortcake later. Promise."

It was about two hours later that the front bell rang. Kagami was the first to stand up but his kids were the ones already on the door, excitedly pointing at it.

"Papa, open it! It's uncle Tatsuya, I think!"

"No... It's uncle Tetsu with auntie Satsuki and Niko."

"Coming, coming." The redhead chuckled before pulling the door inwards to reveal Kuroko, Satsuki and their son who was about three years older than their daughters.

"Hello, angels!" Satsuki ducked down to meet the two so she could press a kiss on their foreheads.

"Aww... it's not uncle Tatsuya..."

"Oi, Hana! Don't be rude. Say hi to them." Aomine walked over to the group so he could usher everyone in. "Sorry about that. She's dying for some cakes."

"Sorry, uncle Tetsu..." Hana curled her nose in a pout cutely.

"We brought some strawberries, if that's any consolation?" Satsuki showed them a container full of bright red fruits that brightened Hana's eyes.

"Yaaay!"

"What does consolation mean?" Rena tilted her head curiously.

"Well, sorry to cut in but we gotta boost now. Thanks for doing us a huge favour, you two." Kagami smiled at his lifelong friends apologetically.

"That's no problem, Kagami-kun. I thought Niko can use some playmates too. Besides, we love your daughters." Answered the shorter male sincerely. "Have fun teaching basketball."

"Are you not going to teach them how to play, Dai-chan?" Satsuki frowned as her eyes roamed over the framed jerseys in their living room. The Lakers 5 and 10 uniform stood proud in the middle, right above their Hall of Fame trophy display. No one ever doubted that their names would be carved into the Hall of Fame.

"Daiki's a mother hen. He doesn't want them to get hurt. Especially at the building. Stray balls can come from all directions."

"Then we'll just have to keep them safe." A voice came from the porch. It was Himuro and along with him, Murasakibara. "They need all the practice they can get if they want to get to WNBA."

"WNBA!" Hana jumped. "Papa, I wanna play basket!"

"Ugh, fine. Fine." Aomine finally relented. He trusted his friends, so he supposed he should give it a go. "If they get hurt, I'm gonna kill you guys."

"They're in safe hands." Akashi came from behind the two new guests. "Come on. Everyone's waiting."

"Everyone?" Kagami blinked. "Kise and the others are in town?"

"Just happen to be. Why don't we play a friendly game while we are at it? Just like the old days." Offered the shorter redhead.

"Sounds good. Let's go, Daiki!"

"Yaaay! Basket! Basket!" The livelier daughter skipped after Kagami out of the house. They locked the gate and together, they headed for the basketball facility just a few minutes away by foot.

Lively conversation flowed as they made their way to their destination. The moment they arrived, they already saw that a few students were already there, along with...

"Kagamicchi!" Kise's signature voice pierced through the air as he excitedly ran towards the group.

"You're too noisy, Kise. Please calm down." Midorima, too, was right next to him. In an unexpected turn of event, the bespectacled male smiled at them. It looked like the years had not only mellowed Aomine, but Midorima too. "Long time no see."

"Looks like everyone is here." Satisfied with the head count, Akashi nodded. "We still have time before your lesson starts. What do you say we play a quick game?"

Almost simultaneously, Aomine and Kagami rolled their arms. "Alright. Four on four. I call dibs on Tetsu." The dark-haired male pulled his old friend next to him.

"Kagamicchi, you'll play with Aominecchi?"

"Of course." The redhead grinned. The thought of playing with such an amazing athlete always made him so aflutter. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

"Then I'll be the referee. Hana, Rena, you two stay far away, okay? It's very dangerous."

"Okay, auntie Satsu!" The two nodded obediently.

"Good girls. Now, let's go and watch your daddies play." She took each girl's hand and walked them into the very familiar view of a basketball court. It was a world that they once committed their entire life into, but now only a sweet memory. That didn't mean they would stop playing, though. Even Kise was always keen to have a match or two despite his time constraints.

Aomine and Kagami walked towards the court and took their position. Satsuki threw the ball straight up in the air and blew the whistle.

Yes, it wasn't the end. After all, another game was just getting started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I'll be honest with you guys. The reason why I wrote this fanfic was because of Lana Del Rey's Young and Beautiful. Like, I could just make a oneshot... I could just make a retirement scene... I could do that... or I COULD MAKE A MONSTER FANFIC FOR THEIR ENTIRE LIFE FROM START TO FINISH??? YEAH THAT'S GOOD.
> 
> [And this is the playlist for the second part!](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVp0cn6TcMCl7ubVk6YM7rC9h7xM7YV03)
> 
> Thank you for reading. I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH. It's been such an adventure that I didn't regret ever taking. I compiled everything into a neat PDF [here if you guys want to download it.](https://1drv.ms/b/s!AmQmjkqv6PQ0rjUzChOqVG3JWYNT?e=kY4Bcg)
> 
> Ah, also I wanted to draw but I'm too tired. Sorry about that! And there will be side stories in the future, so please look forward to them :)
> 
>  **Note on names**  
>  Hana = Flower  
> Rena = Peaceful  
> Hanarena(i) = I will not let go
> 
> Stay safe, everyone! <3


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